Sheilah Vance is the author of Chasing the 400. It is her first work of fiction.
Vance has a B.A. in Communications from Howard University School of Communications, where she majored in journalism.
She also has a J.D. from the Georgetown University Law Center.
She was born in Bryn Mawr, Pa. and has lived in the Main Line and Philadelphia area for most of her life. Vance
created The Elevator Group in 2004 to manage her creative pursuits. One New Year's Eve, she decided to take control
of her future, step out on faith, and self-publish her novel, Chasing the 400. With many satisfied readers and
successful events to encourage her, Vance looks forward to releasing her next book and publishing other authors beginning
in 2009.
Vance maintains a private law practice in Philadelphia, PA and also works as
Executive Director of the Institute for Educational Equity and Opportunity in Washington, DC, a research, education and training
organization that focuses on public school finance issues. She recently spent seven years at the Villanova University
School of Law as Assistant Dean for Academic Support and two years as a Legal Writing professor. She still
teaches Education Law at Villanova Law School and serves as a consultant to the Pre-Law Undergraduate Scholars Program.
Vance received the 2006 Woman of Distinction Award from the Barristers Association of
Philadelphia, a National Bar Association Chapter, for outstanding contributions to the legal profession, legal education and
community service.
Previously, Vance worked as a public relations and media consultant in the Philadelphia area.
She has worked as press secretary for Governor Robert P. Casey, Sr. during his successful campaign for Governor in 1986, a
writer and copy editor for the Philadelphia Sunday Sun, a reporter for The Charlotte News, Editor of Higher Education Publications
for the National Education Association, and editor of Minority Higher Education Reports.
Vance is a member of Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women
and former Counsel; the Board of Directors of the American Red Cross in Philadelphia, counsel to the Main Line (Pa.) Chapter
of the NAACP, and an associate member of the Chester County, Pa. Chapter of Jack & Jill of America. She is
a former Board Member of the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia, the Foundation for Learning in Tredyffrin-Easttown
School District, and past president of the African American Parents Group of the Tredyffrin-Easttown School District. Vance
is a member of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.
