“If you’d asked me 10 years ago if I’d be in politics, I would’ve said ‘No.’ My goal was to be a dean by 40,” remembers Dr. Monica Taylor.
Dr. Taylor’s path to public service had many detours and certainly wasn’t planned. It was sparked by a need. Today, as Chair of the Delaware County Council, she leads with a rare combination of academic rigor, maternal instinct, and a deep-rooted commitment to the public good. As the first African American elected to this role, Dr. Taylor represents more than 575,000 residents across 49 municipalities. Her leadership is reshaping and reimagining what inclusive and accessible governance looks like in Pennsylvania.
Dr. Taylor’s election was historic. But rather than dwell on symbolism, she quickly shifted focus to systemic change. “Representation is so important,” she says. “When we’re out in the community, they (constituents) are able to see me as a representation of them. This is something young girls in our community might aspire to do.” She also notes that the current County Council includes more women than ever before, a reflection of shifting tides in local leadership.
Before politics, Dr. Taylor was in a lab coat, not a blazer. A professor at Temple University’s College of Public Health, she brings a data-driven mindset to local government. Her storied career has taken unexpected turns, beginning in athletics, and playing professional basketball in Europe. That was followed by academic appointments at institutions like West Point and the University of Pittsburgh. Yet, public service found her when she joined the Upper Darby School Board, where one of her daughters was enrolled. “I’m here because I want to help,” she explains. “I want to support our residents. That’s what we’re here to do.”
Her identity as a mother of three young girls is central to her leadership ethos. She reflects on early lessons instilled by her grandmother. “I was always in the soup kitchen with my grandmother every Saturday morning,” she says, adding: “That’s just how I was raised.”
Her early life in service shaped her values: service to others, hard work, and building community.
One of Dr. Taylor’s proudest accomplishments is helping to establish the Delaware County Health Department. “We built the health department during the pandemic… in the middle of it,” she recalls about her pioneering efforts. This was the first health department created in Pennsylvania since 1989. The initiative required extensive collaboration from local universities, nonprofit partners, school social workers, and immigrant community leaders. “If we don’t have them at the table, we don’t really fully understand what they need,” she says, outlining her approach.
The result is a department tailored to community needs, born out of inclusive planning and necessity. Dr. Taylor is modest in claiming the achievement. “There were people who have been advocating for a health department since the 1960s. However, we are just the ones who took it across the finish line.”
Housing is another area where Dr. Taylor has brought her inclusive vision. Under her leadership, the county launched the Housing Continuum Coalition. She explains how the coalition takes a holistic approach to housing.
- For the unhoused: by expanding non-congregate shelter options and wraparound services.
- For renters: by promoting housing stability and providing risk-based assistance.
- For aspiring homeowners: by reducing barriers to capital access and raising awareness of support programs.
“We are trying to support the whole person through mental health, employment, and housing stability.”
In the field of maternal health, Taylor helped establish a working group of healthcare professionals focused on addressing racial disparities in birth outcomes. Delaware County, with only one birthing hospital, faces challenges that impact Black and Brown families disproportionately.
“We saw the disparities in birth outcomes and infant mortality rates for Black and Brown families,” she says. “We had to act.”
They did. Guided by public health data, this initiative is focused on both improving access to care and addressing systemic gaps. Her governing style is collaborative. It is inclusive and crosses political, socioeconomic and regional lines, she says.
Delaware County’s geography includes everything from urban districts to farmland, and Dr. Taylor emphasizes that policy must reflect this diversity.
As a trained researcher, she blends urgency with data-driven decision-making. She says: “We try to move forward with evidence and research… but we also hear from constituents and department leads. We balance data with real-life urgency.”
She points to the Crozer-Chester Health System crisis as a current example requiring both immediate intervention and thoughtful policy.
Efforts led by Governor Josh Shapiro and a Delaware County delegation, including Dr. Taylor, sought to save the for-profit Crozer-Chester Medical Center after it filed for bankruptcy in January. The collapse threatened the region’s only trauma and burn units, leaving more than 3,000 healthcare workers without jobs.
Dr. Taylor intones that her legacy is to be remembered as a public servant who improved residents’ quality of life.
She dismisses personal glorification in favor of collective progress.
To young Black girls watching her journey, her message is inspiring. “I’m accessible and available,” she says. “Start building your community and your support. I’d be happy to be one of them.”
Dr. Monica Taylor’s leadership demonstrates that good government is responsive, reflective, and rooted in community. As Delaware County continues to evolve, her ground-up approach — shaped by scholarship, motherhood, and public service — offers a model worth watching.
“We are your government,” she says. “Please reach out.”
This article is made possible with the support from the following organizations:
Dr. Eric John Nzeribe is the Publisher of FunTimes Magazine and has a demonstrated history of working in the publishing industry since 1992. His interests include using data to understand and solve social issues, narrative stories, digital marketing, community engagement, and online/print journalism features. Dr. Nzeribe is a social media and communication professional with certificates in Digital Media for Social Impact from the University of Pennsylvania, Digital Strategies for Business: Leading the Next-Generation Enterprise from Columbia University, and a Master of Science (MS) in Publication Management from Drexel University and a Doctorate in Business Administration from Temple University.
