Candidate for
Council Member; Township of Upper Darby; Ward 7

Sekela Coles was raised in West Philadelphia by two hard-working and dedicated parents who instilled in her the importance of education and community. She received her undergraduate degree in Finance & Banking in 1999 from Lincoln University and immediately following her graduation was hired by Citifinancial, the consumer finance subsidiary of Citigroup. While starting a family and working full-time for Citifinancial, as an Assistant Manager performing credit analysis, lending, and collections, Sekela received her MBA from Penn State University in 2003. The following year she returned to school fulltime in a doctoral program and in 2010 completed her Ph.D. in Public Policy and Administration specializing in Nonprofit Management & Leadership.

Sekela stays active in many community endeavors, including being the President of Bywood Elementary's Home & School Association, an active member of Upper Darby School District's Parent Advisory Council, an Auxiliary Member of Upper Darby's Neighborhood Watch Association and a member of the Board of Directors of the Elvira B. Pierce Scholarship Fund of Overbrook High School. Sekela is a graduate of Upper Darby Police Department's Citizens Police Academy, a new initiative started by UDPD to strengthen the relationship between community members and the local police department. She has been on the Election Board for her precinct since 2008 and was elected as a Democratic Committeewoman for Upper Darby in 2010. Sekela was recently selected as a 2012 Delegate for President Barack Obama to represent her congressional district at the Democratic National Convention.

In addition to being a loving wife and mother of two young children, Sekela teaches classes in the Business Department of Harcum College and Math & GED courses at Delaware County Community College. Professionally, she is a member of the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) and the National Women's Studies Association (NWSA).

Sekela Coles, Ph.D., MBA