Cheryl Lynn Allen

Cheryl Lynn Allen became the first African-American woman to be elected to the Pennsylvania Superior Court. A Pittsburgh native and former Pittsburgh public school teacher, Judge Allen is a graduate of Penn State University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She spent fifteen years practicing law before earning a merit selection appointment to the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas in 1990. Elected to a ten-year term in 1991, she was retained in 2001 for a second ten-year term. In 2007, she was elected to the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Formative years and family Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Cheryl Lynn Allen is the oldest child of Robert and Corrine Allen. Married to Jimmie Skipwith, she has three sons, Frederick, Justin and Jason. A graduate of Schenley High School in Pittsburgh, she was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree by Pennsylvania State University in 1969 and a Juris Doctor by the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1975.