Montgomery County Democratic Committee

MCDC Officers

Marcel L. Groen, Esq.

Chairman

Marcel has served on the Appellate Court Procedural Rules Committee of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court since his appointment in 2004. Prior to that time, he was elected to serve as a member of the Democratic National Committee. Marcel has been active in politics in Bucks and Montgomery counties for 30 years, having served as chair of the Montgomery County Democratic Committee since 1994, and finance chair of the Bucks County Democratic Party. He has also served as a member of the Pennsylvania Democratic State committee since 1994.

Marcel’s community involvement also includes service as:
• Delegate to the Democratic National Convention (1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008)
• Pennsylvania’s general counsel to the Delaware River Joint Toll Bridge Commission
• A member of the Bucks County Teen Pregnancy Task Force
• Former chair of the Bucks County International Trade Council
• Former solicitor for Falls Township, Bristol Township, Lower Southampton Townships, the Bucks County Water & Sewer Authority, and the Bristol Township School District
• Leadership and executive positions with Beth Sholom Synagogue in Elkins Park, PA, Philadelphia ORT, Bucks County Jewish National Fund, and Solomon Schechter Day Schools

Joanne Olszewski

1st Vice Chair

Joanne Cisco Olszewski was born in Philadelphia and grew up and went to school in Springfield Township, Montgomery County. She has been married to Bernie Olszewski for 49 years and is the mother of three daughters. Before their return to Montgomery County in 1984, she and her family lived in Maryland, where Joanne served as administrative aide to a Maryland State Senator. Also very active with the Maryland Division of the American Cancer Society, she was ACS state secretary 1973-74 and public education volunteer of the year, 1975. A cured cancer patient, she chaired Maryland’s first “Cured Cancer Congress” program committee in 1983.

Joanne’s political activity also includes:

• Montgomery County chair for Harris Wofford’s successful special election bid for United States Senate, 1991
• Chair Hoeffel’s successful election to the 13^th Congressional District seat, 1998
• Field Director on Hoeffel’s congressional staff, 1999 and 2000
• Delegate to the Democratic National Convention, 1996, 2000, 2004
• One of the twenty-one electors of the Pennsylvania Electoral College, 1996

Joanne is presently 1^st vice chair of the MCDC. She was a Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee member for more than twelve years. Joanne served as the Democratic county jury commissioner for two years, 2005-2007, and once again is our current jury commissioner.

In her community, Joanne also serves as vice chair of The Friends of Hillcrest Pond at Cisco Park in Springfield Township. This is a conservation group founded by her late father, James A. Cisco.

Joseph Foster
2nd Vice Chair

Joe Foster, born in Philadelphia and raised in Abington and Upper Dublin townships, has worked for Temple University since 1990, teaching undergraduate and graduate courses in American history. Married 23 years to Debby Brent, Joe is the father of four (two girls, two boys) and currently resides in Bryn Mawr, Lower Merion Township. From 1977 to 1986 he volunteered at Radio Information Center for the Blind in center city Philadelphia, and from approximately 1988 to 1998, he was a member and secretary of the Society for Political Enquiries, which was based in Harrisburg. In addition, Joe both chaired and served on various committees and sat on the board of trustees for Beth Am Israel from 1995 to 2004.

Joe began serving as a committeeman in Lower Merion Township in 1992 and held that position until resigning it in 2006; he was elected vice chair for the township's western wards in 2002, and in 2006 he was elected co-chair of the Lower Merion & Narberth Democratic Committee. In addition, he served as Area Representative for nearly seven years, and was elected Second Vice Chair for the county party in 2006.

Olivia Brady
Recording Secretary

Olivia Brady has been a resident of Montgomery County all her life, and now lives in Norristown with her husband and son and has been very active in the Democratic Party. In 2000 she won a seat on Norristown Municipal Council and served as its President in 2003. She then resigned, as per Norristown's charter, to run for state representative in 2005 for the 150th District coming within 4 percent of the vote needed to win. Currently she is very active in the Women's Leadership Initiative, working to get more women elected to public office. Olivia works for the Montgomery County Democratic Committee as the Assistant Director.

Gregory W. Philips

Corresponding Secretary

Greg has been active in Democratic politics since 1984 when he was appointed a committeeperson by former Chairman Buck Scott. Since 1984, Greg has held a number of positions within the local, county and state committees, including Chairman of the Upper Merion Democratic Committee from 2001 through 2005 and a delegate from Montgomery County to the Pennsylvania Democratic State Committee. He currently serves as the Treasurer for the Tim Briggs for State Representative Committee and was formerly the Treasurer for the Lois Murphy for Judge Committee.

In 2004 Greg was a candidate for Congress to represent the people of the 7th Congressional District. In 2011 he won a seat on the Upper Merion Board of Supervisors where he serves his community.

Kelbin Carolina
Treasurer

Kelbin Carolina attended Philadelphia Community College and Drexel University and has spent the past 33 years in the field of accounting and banking as a credit analyst, mortgage banker, economic development officer and senior accountant, working to improve the lives of others in the Delaware Valley Region. He has had the opportunity to assist hundreds of businesses in obtaining millions of dollars in loans, as well as help hundreds of homeowners receive mortgages to purchase or refinance their homes. Kelbin currently serves as Senior Accountant in the Montgomery County Controller’s office.

Kelbin was appointed twice to the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce by the late Governor Robert P. Casey. Kelbin has lived in Lower Providence for the past fourteen years, and currently serves on various community organization boards in the township. In addition to his post as treasurer for the county committee, he also serves as treasurer of the Lower Providence Democratic Committee. Kelbin is a committeeman in Lower Providence and has also served as Municipal Chairman of the Lower Providence Democratic Committee.

A member of the Macedonia Baptist Church, Kelbin has been married to his wife Dorinda for 28 years and they have a son named Kyle.

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Montgomery County Democratic Committee
PO Box 857
Norristown, PA 19404
(610) 272-2000
(610) 272-2005 (Fax)
info@mcdems.org