Jill Biden, Lori Shapiro, and past Pennsylvania first ladies offer advice — and a rare glimpse into their lives in the public eye

HARRISBURG – Former First Lady Jill Biden joined Pennsylvania’s First Lady Lori Shapiro and other former Pennsylvania first ladies on Wednesday for a panel discussion Wednesday in the state Capitol, offering a rare glimpse into the lives of women who often operate in the background.

The current and former first ladies encouraged the state’s women to continue bettering the state and country, while acknowledging some of the Pennsylvania women who blazed a path for women’s equality today.

“Every step you take, every time you raise your voice, every consideration you have, every small good you do, it builds,” Shapiro said. “You should never underestimate the power of your voice.”

First ladies at the national level spend a great deal of time in the public eye and have full staffs tasked with leading initiatives on issues important to them. At the state level in the nation’s fifth most-populous state, however, first ladies often take a quieter approach and have only a few staffers to help them achieve their goals.

Shapiro, whose husband Gov. Josh Shapiro is seen widely as a 2028 Democratic presidential contender, has kept a low profile during her time as the first wife and rarely makes public appearances. However, Josh Shapiro often credits her for some of his best political and policy moves, citing his high school sweetheart more than 100 times in his memoir released earlier this year.

Biden and Shapiro were joined by former Pennsylvania First Ladies Frances Wolf and Michele Ridge, each of whom shared how they approached their job as First Lady and how they came to focus on specific issues during their tenure.

For Shapiro, she has led the way on making free menstrual products available in public schools and expanding Pennsylvania’s workforce to be inclusive of people with intellectual disabilities during her first three years as First Lady. Ridge, a longtime library director, focused on literacy efforts and preventing violence against Pennsylvania’s youth when her husband former Gov. Tom Ridge led the state from 1995 to 2001; And Wolf spotlighted food insecurity in schools and colleges during her husband’s time in Harrisburg from 2015 to 2023.

Biden, a Willow Grove native who described herself as “Jilly from Philly,” said she worked on a number of topics including veterans issues, breast cancer outcomes and menopause research throughout her four decades as former President Joe Biden’s wife; first as a Senate spouse, then as Second Lady, and finally as First Lady.

Each of the first ladies offered positive outlooks for Pennsylvania women, and encouraged the female leaders in attendance to hire young women and mentor them. Biden also urged Pennsylvania women to take steps to become independent.

“Make sure that no matter what, you can handle life on your own, because things happen in life that you never, ever expected,” Biden said, noting her son Beau Biden’s death from cancer in which he left behind two children. “You need an education, or you need training, or you need something where you can have your own money, stand on your own two feet.”

The group shared how they reacted to becoming First Lady, from worried tears to excitement, or both, and how they tried to balance the role as a full-time caretaker for their children in addition to a new role as a public figure.

“We all realize the magnitude of this position of public service and the responsibility to do it well,” Wolf said. “At that point in time, I didn’t know what I didn’t know, but I knew that we had to step up.”

The panel discussion was hosted for Women’s History Month by American 250 PA, the state-level organization hosting events to celebrate America’s semiquincentennial this year. The panel was moderated by “The West Wing” actress Melissa Fitzgerald, a Philadelphia native. Former Gov. Tom Wolf, now in retirement and living in Philadelphia, sat in the second row at the event in support of his wife. Several grandchildren of former Pennsylvania governors also attended on Wednesday.

The group also celebrated Levittown resident Mae Krier, an original Rosie the Riveter who worked in a Boeing factory during World War II. She turned 100 on March 21 — which falls on the national “Rosie the Riveter Day” recognizing the work efforts of women during WWII. She was formally recognized on Tuesday by the state House, and U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick introduced a resolution last week acknowledging her for her contributions to the United States.