PHILIDELPHIA'S MAYOR
Cherelle's Story
Family. Community. Education.
Cherelle L. Parker was born to a single teenage mother and raised by her grandparents, James and Dorothy Parker, in West Oak Lane. Cherelle realized her dreams through the support of her family and community, and a belief in the transformative power of education.
Cherelle L. Parker has spent her career in service to her City, her community, and her family.
She attended Philadelphia public schools from K-12. After high school, she was the first person in her family to go to college, earning her bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University and pledging Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She later obtained her master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.
While in high school, Cherelle began interning in Philadelphia’s City Council for Councilwoman Marian B. Tasco. After earning her undergraduate degree, she taught public school as a high school English teacher and ESL teacher working with immigrant children and adults.
Commitment to Service
Lured back to public service by Councilwoman Tasco, she accepted a position in her council office and advanced to serve as a senior staffer where she oversaw – among many other things – the implementation of all economic and community development initiatives that helped neighborhoods and business corridors thrive. By the time she left, she had become one of Councilwoman Tasco’s most trusted advisors.
Cherelle L. Parker served for ten years as a State Representative representing Northwest Philadelphia (2005–2015). In 2005, when she won her election, she made history as the youngest African American woman ever elected to Pennsylvania’s State Legislature. In Harrisburg, her colleagues elected her to chair the Philadelphia Delegation, where she earned a reputation as one of the most effective legislators in the state.
During her tenure in Harrisburg, she worked with both Republicans and Democrats to get things done including saving the Philadelphia School District from financial collapse by securing crucial emergency funding that prevented a citywide school shut down, fixing roads and bridges in Philadelphia and across Pennsylvania while creating thousands of good paying jobs, providing greater protections for victims of sexual assault, and making it harder to buy and sell illegal guns in Philadelphia.
In 2015, Cherelle was elected to City Council, representing Northwest Philadelphia and the lower Northeast—some of the most stable and diverse working-class communities in the city. In City Council, she was elected by her colleagues to serve as the Council Majority Leader. In this role, she focused on public safety, stabilizing “middle neighborhoods,” economic opportunities—especially for small businesses—and ensuring that city government operates effectively.
Mayor of Philadelphia
Cherelle L. Parker was elected as Mayor in 2023 and was sworn in on January 2, 2024, becoming the City’s 100th Mayor.
From the moment she took office, Mayor Parker got to work to fulfil the promises she made to make Philadelphia the safest, cleanest and greenest big city in America with economic opportunity for all.
We are One Philly, A United City!
