State Rep. Parke Wentling represents the 7th House District in northwestern Pennsylvania, which covers portions of Mercer County.

Wentling was born and raised in Greenville, where he resides with his wife, Jennifer, and their two children. Prior to his election, he served 17 years as an educator in the Wilmington Area School District.

His top priority as a legislator is to enact policies that support the creation of good-paying, family-sustaining jobs. Likewise, he strongly advocates reducing the tax burden on working families and seniors, investing in our state’s education system to build a brighter future for our children, responsible stewardship of Pennsylvania’s natural resources and preserving family farms.

Wentling has been appointed to serve on four House committees – Game and Fisheries (Republican vice chairman), Local Government (Republican chair, Subcommittee on Townships), Environmental Resources and Energy, and Tourism and Economic and Recreational Development – for the 2023-24 legislative session. This comes after he was named a deputy chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee.

A 1990 graduate of Greenville Area High School, Wentling earned a B.S. in education from the California University of Pennsylvania, specializing in industrial arts and technology education. He later completed a master’s program in education from Clarion University of Pennsylvania, with an emphasis in instructional technology.

Wentling is an outdoors enthusiast and avid cyclist. He races competitively and has been a member of the Meadville Medical Center’s Wellness Extension Cycling Team. Twice he has journeyed across the country on the TransAmerica Trail, spanning the distance from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans and pedaling 4,200 miles each trip.

Wentling has long had an interest in rail networks and Rails-to-Trails projects. He entered the workforce as a fourth-generation employee of the Bessemer and Lake Erie Railroad, serving as a track laborer. He is past president of the Mercer County Trails Association, as well as of the Erie to Pittsburgh Trail Alliance.

He and his family attend Zion’s Reformed Church in Greenville, where he serves as a deacon.