Mission Statement:
Our office is dedicated to serving and protecting our community through the fair and ethical pursuit of justice. We will work to hold the guilty accountable, protect the innocent, and preserve the dignity of victims and their families.
Bernie Cantorna was sworn in as Centre County District Attorney on January 2, 2018. Mr. Cantorna graduated from St. Mary's College with a degree in business management and was a certified public accountant prior to attending law school. He graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 1990. Mr. Cantorna began his career as an Assistant Public Defender in rural Wisconsin. He also worked as a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin Law School.
In 1998, Mr. Cantorna moved to State College with his wife and two young daughters. He spent 20 years in private practice as a trial lawyer, emphasizing criminal defense and civil plaintiff litigation.