Meet Marsha Andrews, Candidate for School Board

With the November 8 election day swiftly approaching, Upper Dublin Patch is on a mission to inform its readers about the background and stances of every single candidate running for office in our township.

We'll present two pieces on every candidate: first an interview on their personal background, followed by a second to find out their viewpoint on key issues. To find which ward you're in, click here.

Marsha Andrews is one of three challengers who, along with four incumbent candidates, are vying for five open spots on the Upper Dublin Board of School Directors. Andrews was not on the ballot in , in which all candidates crossfiled as both Democrat and Republican, but replaces nominee Adam Simmens, who withdrew from the race for personal reasons. Simmens had garnered the second most Republican votes (15.08%) and seventh most Democratic votes (4.90%) in the primary. 

Upper Dublin Patch: What publicly elected offices have you held, if any, and for how long?

Marsha Andrews: I have never held public office.

UDP: Can you take a moment to tell our readers a bit about yourself-- where you're from, your education, and your professional and personal achievements?

MA: Daughter to Colombian parents, I am first generation US citizen.  Originally, I am from Philadelphia where my parents sent me to private school. I graduated in 1996 from Cardinal Doughtery high school and went to Immaculata College, now known as Immaculata University. In my freshmen year, I went to Universitié de Bourgogne for a study aboard program to fully immerse myself in the French culture.

I was president of the Modern Foreign Language Association in my sophomore year, and involved with the club the rest of my college years. I received my Bachelor degree in International Business with a foreign language concentration in French and a minor in Italian from Immaculata University.  I did an internship with Prudential Securities doing financial analysis. 

After getting my Bachelor’s, I went to work in 2000 for Sprint Business as a sales representative. In November of 2000, I went to work for Chrysler Financial as a customer service representative, quickly moving into high risk collections for 2 years.

I moved within the company in several different roles. I was then cross-trained in the accounting department and utilized the knowledge and business acumen I gained in the resolution department.  I trained an outsource company to handle first response calls for customer service before transferring calls to supervisory level for resolution.  I handled correspondence and highly escalated issues for customers’ in matters of insurance, bankruptcy, customer relations, and accounting. While working in Chrysler Financial, I went to graduate school and received an MBA in Global Management in 2006.

In November of 2007, I went to work for 3SI as dispatcher for field service representatives.  The following year I moved into a customer service representative/account manager role. I currently handle international accounts and non-financial markets aside for handling all accounts in Florida.  My areas of responsibility included existing account sales, technical support and accounting. 

UDP: Where do you place yourself on the political spectrum? Are there any key philosophies or issues you hold most important?

MA: I feel that politics at the local level needs to focus on solutions and not the polarization which has dominated national politics. We need to work together to find common sense positive solutions to find compromise without undermining our core values. My central focus is a higher quality of education at a reasonable cost to our taxpayers. Our children are important and their needs come first.

UDP: You replaced Adam Simmens on the ballot. Can you take a moment to explain why this occurred, and why you’ve decided to run for office?

MA: A while back I had mentioned to members of the UDRC that I had intentions of running two years from now. In August, I was approached by the committee with the unfortunate news that Adam had to withdraw for personal reasons. I was asked if I would consider running earlier than I had originally planned, and after much thought I agreed because I believe it was my time to do something for our community. 

I thought of my son and the type of education he is receiving with our school district versus other districts in Pennsylvania. I thought of the other children of our school district and the dissatisfaction of some parents in matters of diversity, state funding, taxes, nutrition and funding of programs. I want our district to be the best in Montgomery County and statewide.

Stick with Patch as we continue to speak with candidates. Click for previous interviews. Incumbents in bold.

Upper Dublin Township Commissioners

Ward 1: (R), (D)

Ward 5: (D), (R)

Ward 7: (R), (D)

UDSD School Board

, , , , , , .

Magisterial District Judge

(D), (R)