Interim no more.

Sen. Kim Ward (R-Westmoreland) was unanimously elected as President Pro Tempore of the Pennsylvania Senate on Tuesday.

President Pro Tempore is the top office in the Senate – similar to the Speaker’s Office in the House – and presides over session when the Lieutenant Governor is not available.

She becomes the first woman to be elected to the top position in the chamber, after breaking barriers as the first female to be named to the spot on an interim basis.

Ward, as the top Republican, was the natural choice for President Pro Tempore in the GOP controlled chamber.

In remarks after her election, Ward tipped her hat to many who have helped her along the path, including one in particular.

“I want to acknowledge and thank my family for their support,” she said. “My mom Joanna is sitting here today. She is one strong lady. She has taught me to never give up when things get rocky because there is always a way to fix something and a path to get to where you need to get to.”

Ward also acknowledged the record number of women serving with her in the Senate, now totaling 16 with eight from both the Democratic and Republican parties.

“All of us arrived here because we had a passion for an issue or saw something we believed was an injustice, and in our hearts felt we had a duty to do something about.”

She also called upon her fellow state senators to remember why they were sent to Harrisburg.

“We are not all the same party or ideology, but we are all here for one basic reason – to make change for the betterment of the people we represent,” Ward said. “And we are blessed to have been given the opportunity to do that. To leave things better than when we got here.”

“To all of my esteemed colleagues in this distinguished body, Last session we put a focus on government overreach and impingement on our authority, and I give you my word I will fight for the constitutional authority of this Senate.”