Rep. Napoleon Nelson's Biography

Napoleon Nelson was elected to represent the 154th Legislative District in November 2020.

A native of Philadelphia’s Mt. Airy neighborhood, Napoleon moved to Cheltenham in 2003. He has been active in the community and civic leadership ever since. 

Napoleon was elected to the Cheltenham School Board in 2011, was chairman of the Finance and Personnel committees, and served as president of the board. In 2017 he was elected Cheltenham’s Finance Officer. Upon his being sworn in as the Finance Officer, he had to step down from the Cheltenham School Board, but his advocacy for public education found a new avenue. He was appointed to the board of trustees for the Montgomery County Community College in 2018, where he continues to fulfill his commitment in preparing young people for careers and continued education with vision, fiscal responsibility and managerial professionalism.

Napoleon is a proud member of Central High School’s 257th graduating class. He holds a B.S. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology and an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

Napoleon is a finance professional with professional experience in investment analysis, planning and analysis, and corporate strategy. He has worked for regional powerhouses like Vanguard, Campbell Soup, and SEI Investments. Prior to becoming the Finance Officer, Napoleon founded Market Literacy Project, a venture that created financial literacy materials and lesson plans to help students develop skills to be better consumers, producers, creators and business leaders.

Napoleon married his high school sweetheart, Shareese in 2002. They have two teenage children who attend Cheltenham Public Schools. He and his family are members of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church and active supporters of Cheltenham’s youth sports programs.