Michelle De La Isla facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Michelle De La Isla
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| Mayor of Topeka | |
| In office January 8, 2018 – January 4, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Larry Wolgast |
| Succeeded by | Mike Padilla |
| Personal details | |
| Born | March 19, 1976 New York City, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Children | 2 daughters, 1 son |
| Education | University of Puerto Rico, Mayagüez Wichita State University (BS) Fort Hays State University (MBA) Harvard University |
Michelle De La Isla (born March 19, 1976) is an American leader. She was the Mayor of Topeka, Kansas, from 2018 to 2022. Before becoming mayor, she was part of the Topeka City Council from 2013 to 2018. Michelle De La Isla was the first Latina person and first single mom to be mayor of Topeka. She also ran for a big government job in 2020 but did not win.
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Michelle De La Isla's Early Life and School
Michelle De La Isla was born in New York City. She spent most of her childhood in Puerto Rico. She went to the University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez. In 2000, she moved to Wichita, Kansas. During her teenage years, she faced a time when she did not have a stable home and became a mother. In 2001, she earned a college degree in biology from Wichita State University. She later earned a master's degree in business from Fort Hays State University. She also studied at Harvard University.
Michelle De La Isla's Career Journey
Michelle De La Isla worked as a teacher for a program called Upward Bound. In 2005, she moved to Topeka, Kansas. There, she joined a group called Housing and Credit Counseling, Inc. She helped connect with the community and Spanish-speaking people. Later, she became the person in charge of the group's money.
Michelle De La Isla's Political Path
In 2013, Michelle De La Isla decided to run for the Topeka City Council. She won and represented the fifth area of the city. In 2016, she served as the assistant mayor to Mayor Larry Wolgast. On April 11, 2017, she announced she wanted to run for mayor herself. This was after Mayor Wolgast said he would not run again.
On November 7, 2017, Michelle De La Isla won the election to become mayor of Topeka. She won by 501 votes. Before the election, she also said she would keep her job at Evergy, an energy company. This made her the first mayor to also have another job while being mayor.
As mayor, Michelle De La Isla helped lead many important groups. She was on the board for Washburn University. She also helped with economic plans for Topeka and Shawnee County.
On January 6, 2020, Michelle De La Isla announced she would run for a job in the U.S. government. She wanted to represent Kansas's 2nd congressional district. On August 4, she won the first election for her party. This meant she would run in the main election on November 3, 2020. However, she was defeated by Jake LaTurner in that election.
On March 19, 2021, Michelle De La Isla announced she would not run for mayor again.
In September 2023, Michelle De La Isla became the chief executive of a nonprofit group called Hack.Diversity. This group is based in Boston.
Michelle De La Isla's Family Life
Michelle De La Isla has two daughters and one son.
