Ken Lawrence Appointed New Montgomery County Commissioner

Montgomery County has officially confirmed Democratic nominee Ken Lawrence Jr. as the new county commissioner. He has become the first African-American commissioner in the history of the county.

Lawrence, of Plymouth Meeting, takes the spot of former commissioner Josh Shapiro, who was just sworn in as Pennsylvania's new Attorney General. Shapiro resigned his role on the board effective Jan. 16.

Lawrence, 45, most recently served as the Vice President of Alumni Relations at Temple University. He was officially confirmed after five candidates met with county judges early Monday, according to officials.

He will serve the remainder of Shapiro's term, which will expire in three years as Shapiro was reelected to the board in 2015.

Before taking on the role at Temple, Lawrence founded Public Affairs Strategies, which helmed communications projects for both corporations and nonprofits.

He graduated from Temple with a bachelor's in political science and earned his Masters in Public Administration from the University of Pennsylvania.

Image courtesy Temple University.