• Portrait of Gwendolyn CooleyGwendolyn Cooley

    Gwendolyn Cooley wasn't done serving Erie's students and their families after she retired in 2011 from the Erie School District, where she had worked for 25 years. She sought -- and won -- a seat on the Erie School Board in 2019.

    Cooley told the Erie Times-News then that her career with the district qualified her for the work ahead.

    “I have an understanding of how things work,” said Cooley, who was working as a parent involvement specialist with the district when she retired. “I have a relationship with the community, plus with my former students, who are now parents. I am a person of patience. I am a person who doesn’t mind getting in the trenches, and I have a strong faith relationship.”