Plymouth Meeting resident Ken Lawrence, Jr. has been selected by the Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas today to fill the vacancy left by Josh Shapiro on the Montgomery County Court of Commissioners. Lawrence is the first African-American Commissioner in the history of Montgomery County. Shapiro resigned his post after being elected as Pennsylvania Attorney General and Lawrence will serve through the end of Shapiro’s term in 2019.

From the Montgomery County Office of Communications:

A resident of Montgomery County for nearly 35 years, Lawrence brings a diverse set of skills and experience to the Board. Currently, Lawrence serves as Temple University’s Vice President for Alumni Relations. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the activities of the Office of Alumni Relations and the Temple University Alumni Association. He was the first Vice President appointed to this position in Temple history. Previously, he served as Senior Vice President for Government, Community, and Public Affairs at Temple where he oversaw the offices of Government Relations and Community Relations directing all of Temple’s outreach and advocacy activities at the state, local, and federal levels of government and community engagement.

Lawrence was the chosen candidate of the Democratic Party, however, a few other people did submit to be considered. The official swearing-in will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 25th at the Montgomery County Courthouse.