| No. [17] | Name | Term in Office | Notes |
|---|
| 1 | Col. John C. Groome | July 1, 1905 – February 28, 1920 [lower-alpha 2] | First state police superintendent, appointed by Governor Pennypacker |
| - | Cpt. George F. Lumb | June 3, 1919 [lower-alpha 3] | Served as acting superintendent briefly |
| 2 | Major Lynn G. Adams | March 1, 1920 – February 28, 1937 [lower-alpha 2] | Adams created the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (BCI&I) and named Captain Wilson C. Price to serve as the bureau's first chief. [18] |
| - | Office vacant | February 28, 1937 – June 29, 1937 | Office remained vacant for four months following the retirement of Adams |
| Superintendents of the Pennsylvania State Highway Patrol [lower-alpha 4] |
| 1 | Cpt. Wilson C. Price | May 18, 1923 – April 13, 1936 [lower-alpha 2] | First highway patrol superintendent, appointed by Governor Pinchot |
| - | Deputy Supt. [lower-alpha 5] Philip J. Dorr | February 29, 1936 [lower-alpha 3] | Served as acting superintendent briefly |
| - | Lt. Earl J. Henry | March 16, 1936 [lower-alpha 3] | Served as acting superintendent briefly |
| 2 | Cpt. Charles H. Quarles | April 13, 1936 – February 28, 1937 [lower-alpha 6] | Resigned in protest of the merging of the two departments [20] |
| - | Lt. Earl J. Henry | February 28, 1937 – June 29, 1937 | Served as acting superintendent following the resignation of Quarles |
| Commissioners of the Pennsylvania Motor Police [lower-alpha 7] |
| 1 | Col. [lower-alpha 8] Percy W. Foote | June 29, 1937 – January 25, 1939 [lower-alpha 2] | First motor police commissioner, appointed by Governor Earle |
| - | Lt. Col. Cecil M. Wilhelm | January 25, 1939 – May 31, 1939 | Served as acting commissioner following the retirement of Foote |
| 2 | Col. Lynn G. Adams | May 31, 1939 – January 20, 1943 [lower-alpha 6] | In 1939, Col. Adams moved the horses which were stabled at 20th and Herr Street to the Hershey Training School [21] |
| 3 | Col. Cecil M. Wilhelm | January 20, 1943 – June 1, 1943 [lower-alpha 9] | Following the department's renaming in 1943, Wilhelm became the first state police commissioner |
| Commissioners of the Pennsylvania State Police [lower-alpha 10] |
| 4 | Col. Cecil M. Wilhelm | June 1, 1943 [lower-alpha 9] – March 28, 1955 [lower-alpha 2] | First state police commissioner, appointed by Governor Martin |
| 5 | Col. Earl J. Henry | March 28, 1955 – February 26, 1959 [lower-alpha 2] | Henry abolished the use of the "squadron" label in favor of "district" and changed the title of "squadron commander" to "district inspector" [22] |
| 6 | Col. Frank G. McCartney | February 26, 1959 – January 29, 1963 [lower-alpha 2] | McCartney changed the name from "Pennsylvania State Police Training School" to "Pennsylvania State Police Academy" [23] |
| 7 | Col. E. Wilson Purdy | January 29, 1963 – April 8, 1966 [lower-alpha 2] | In 1963, Purdy introduced a five-day work week for the first time in State Police History. Purdy also for the first time in State Police history allowed married men to apply for cadet training [24] |
| - | Lt. Col. Paul A. Rittelmann | April 8, 1966 – January 17, 1967 | Served as acting commissioner following the retirement of Purdy |
| 8 | Col. Frank McKetta | January 17, 1967 – January 25, 1971 [lower-alpha 2] | Appointed by Governor Shafer, previously led the Federal Protective Service |
| 9 | Col. Rocco P. Urella | January 25, 1971 – January 2, 1973 [lower-alpha 2] | Permitted the enlistment of female troopers in 1971 [25] |
| 10 | Col. James D. Barger | January 2, 1973 – February 15, 1977 [lower-alpha 2] | Began construction of the new state police headquarters [26] |
| 11 | Col. Paul J. Chylak | February 15, 1977 – March 1, 1979 [lower-alpha 2] | Chylak initiated the State Police Aerial Reconnaissance and Enforcement, also known as (S.P.A.RE.) [27] |
| 12 | Daniel F. Dunn [lower-alpha 11] | March 1, 1979 – May 16, 1984 [lower-alpha 12] | In June 1980, Dunn made the .357 Ruger, a stainless steel, four inch barrel revolver, the new standard sidearm [28] |
| - | Lt. Col. Cyril J. Laffey | May 16, 1984 – December 1, 1984 [lower-alpha 6] | Served as acting commissioner following the death of Dunn |
| - | Lt. Col. Nicholas Dellarciprete | December 1, 1984 – March 6, 1985 | Served as acting commissioner following the resignation of Laffey |
| 13 | Col. Jay Cochran Jr. [29] | March 6, 1985 – January 30, 1987 [lower-alpha 2] | Under Cochran's leadership, the agency developed new uniforms, a new shoulder patch, and multiple offices were renamed [30] |
| 14 | Col. John K. Schafer | January 30, 1987 – August 3, 1987 [lower-alpha 12] | Schafer served as commissioner for only a brief period due to an unfortunate illness which resulted in his death in August 1987 [31] |
| 15 | Col. Ronald M. Sharpe | August 3, 1987 – April 23, 1991 [lower-alpha 2] | First African American to hold the position of commissioner, appointed by Governor Casey [32] [33] |
| 16 | Col. Glenn A. Walp | April 23, 1991 – January 17, 1995 [lower-alpha 2] | Under the leadership of Walp, on July 31, 1993, the Pennsylvania State Police became the largest accredited police agency in the world. The department had to comply with 773 professional police standards [34] |
| - | Maj. James B. Hazen | January 17, 1995 – February 15, 1995 | Served as acting commissioner following the retirement of Walp |
| 17 | Col. Paul J. Evanko | February 15, 1995 – March 24, 2003 [lower-alpha 2] | Appointed by Governors Ridge and Schweiker |
| 18 | Col. Jeffrey B. Miller | March 24, 2003 – August 8, 2008 [lower-alpha 6] | Promoted from Major, appointed by Governor Rendell |
| - | Lt. Col. Frank E. Pawlowski | August 9, 2008 – October 7, 2008 [lower-alpha 13] | Served as acting commissioner following the resignation of Miller. Confirmed as Commissioner by the senate on October 7, 2008 [35] [36] |
| 19 | Col. Frank E. Pawlowski | October 7, 2008 – January 7, 2011 [lower-alpha 2] | Promoted from Lieutenant Colonel, appointed by Governor Rendell |
| - | Francis Noonan | January 18, 2011 – April 12, 2011 [lower-alpha 13] | Served as acting commissioner following the retirement of Pawlowski. Confirmed as Commissioner by the senate on April 12, 2011 |
| 20 | Col. Francis Noonan | April 12, 2011 – August 3, 2015 [lower-alpha 2] | Former FBI Agent, appointed by Governor Corbett |
| - | Col. Marcus Brown | August 3, 2015 – December 9, 2015 [lower-alpha 14] | Failed to be confirmed by the senate, appointed by Governor Wolf [37] |
| 21 | Col. Tyree C. Blocker | December 9, 2015 [lower-alpha 14] – March 23, 2018 [lower-alpha 2] | Former PSP Major, appointed by Governor Wolf |
| - | Lt. Col. Robert Evanchick | March 24, 2018 – June 4, 2019 [lower-alpha 13] | Served as acting commissioner following the retirement of Blocker. Confirmed as Commissioner by the senate on June 4, 2019 |
| 22 | Col. Robert Evanchick | June 4, 2019 – January 19, 2023 [lower-alpha 2] | Former Deputy Commissioner of Operations, appointed by Governor Wolf |
| - | Maj. Christopher L. Paris | January 19, 2023 – March 9, 2023 [lower-alpha 13] | Served as acting commissioner following the retirement of Evanchick. [38] Confirmed as Commissioner by the senate on March 9, 2023 [39] |
| 23 | Col. Christopher L. Paris | March 9, 2023 [40] – present [lower-alpha 15] | Former PSP Major, appointed by Governor Shapiro |
