Dr. Teresa Gillen

Biography

Teresa Gillen is an experienced executive specializing in urban policy and economic development. She is currently a Lecturer at Penn Carey Law and has previously served as a Visiting Fellow at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC. Prior roles include Director of the Pay Success program at the national LISC in New York and Deputy Operations Director for the Hillary Clinton campaign in Pennsylvania. She has also worked as the Director of Federal Affairs for the City of Philadelphia and as Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA). Teresa was the Director of Economic Development Policy during the Rendell Administration in Harrisburg and served as Senior Vice President at the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) under Mayor Rendell. In this position, she oversaw the planning process that transformed the Philadelphia Navy Yard into a successful business park. Teresa has practiced public finance law with Ballard, Spahr, Andrews Ingersoll. She holds a B.A. cum laude from the University of Rochester, an M.A. in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, and a J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, where she served as Executive Editor of the Law Review and contributed to the creation of an affirmative action program for the Law Review. Her article, 'Proposed Model Sovereign Proprietary Distinction,' was published by the University of Pennsylvania Law Review in March 1985. From 1998 to 2008, she served as the Democratic ward leader for the 30th Ward in South Philadelphia and was the Political Director for the Nutter Mayor campaign from 2006 to 2007.

Research Interests