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Colleen A. Sheehan
Colleen A. Sheehan
Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives; from the 149th district
	In office; January 3, 1995 – November 30, 1996
Preceded by	Ellen Harley
Succeeded by	Constance H. Williams
Personal details
Born	January 7, 1956 (age 68); Plattsburgh, New York, United States
Political party	Republican
Spouse	John A. Doody III
Children	John A. Doody IV; Brenda M. Hafera
Residence(s)	Wayne, PA
Alma mater	Ph.D Claremont Graduate School; M.A. Claremont Graduate School; B.A. Eisenhouwer College
Occupation	University Professor

Colleen Ann Sheehan (born January 7, 1956) is a former Republican member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.^[2] A former, longtime member of the Villanova University faculty, she is currently a professor of politics and ethics in the Arizona State University's School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership (SKETL).^[3]^[4]

An education advocate, she fought for increased funding for K-12 education, saying, "There is no more important responsibility of our government here in Pennsylvania than the education of our children.^[5]

Formative years

Born in Plattsburgh, New York on January 7, 1956, Sheehan graduated from Willsboro Central School in 1973, earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls, New York in 1977, her Master of Arts degree from the Claremont Graduate School (now Claremont Graduate University) in Claremont, California in 1979, and her Doctor of Philosophy degree from that same institution in 1986.^[6]

Academic career

Sheehan was a member of the faculty of Villanova University in Villanova, Pennsylvania from September 1986 through November 2020. While there, she was the director of the Matthew J. Ryan Center for the Study of Free Institutions and the Public Good. In 2006, she was a visiting associate professor at Princeton University in Princeton, New Jersey. Since March 2020, she has served as a professor of politics and ethics in the School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership at Arizona State University in Tempe, Arizona.^[6]

Public service and political career

A member of the Republican Party, she was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives, and served for a two-year term, beginning in 1995.^[7] In favor of using tax dollars to fund charter and private schools as well as public schools, she also supported restrictions on abortion, except in cases of rape or incest. In January 1995, she voted in favor of "a tough Republican plan" to "reduce benefits to many people on welfare," according to The Philadelphia Inquirer, that was designed to "deny automatic cash grant increases for welfare mothers who [had] more babies," and "would eliminate general assistance to able-bodied people ages 18 to 25."^[8] In October of that same year, she voted against the House's approval of an eighteen percent pay raise for members of the Pennsylvania House and Senate, a successful bill that made "Pennsylvania public servants among the best paid in the nation" at that time.^[9]^[6]

Unsuccessful in her reelection bid for the House, she initially refused to concede after losing the close race by more than five hundred votes.^[10]^[11] She subsequently returned to academia. Appointed to the Pennsylvania Board of Education, she served from 2011 to 2018.^[6]

References

^ "Faculty and Staff | Villanova University".
^ Cox, Harold. "House Members S". Wilkes University Election Statistics Project. Wilkes University.
^ "Colleen A. Sheehan" (biography). Harrisburg, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania House of Representatives, retrieved online May 29, 2024.
^ "Rep. Sheehan will visit groups in Lower Merion." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, September 26, 1995, p. W3 (subscription required).
^ "House GOP defies Ridge, votes for more school aid." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 12, 1996, p. R3 (subscription required).
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Colleen A. Sheehan" (biography), Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
^ Eshleman Jr., Russell E. "GOP wins tussle in the Pa. House." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer. January 4, 1995, front page and p. A7 (subscription required).
^ Moran, Robert. "House OKs GOP plan to cut welfare." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, January 27, 1995, pp. B1, B8 (subscription required).
^ Eshleman Jr., Russell E. "Lawmakers in Pa. take an 18% raise." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, October 18, 1995, front page and p. A9 (subscription required).
^ Barnard, Anne. "Results of vote show a split between Merions." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 7, 1996, pp. B1, B11 (subscription required).
^ Barnard, Anne. "Despite the official vote county, Sheehan has yet to concede." Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: The Philadelphia Inquirer, November 20, 1996, p. B5 (subscription required).