Jessica Rafeh

Pennsauken Committeewoman Jessica Rafeh was the first person of Hispanic and Middle Eastern descent to serve as a deputy mayor (2021), then mayor (2022), in the history of the Township. 

Rafeh, whose family immigrated to Venezuela from Syria, moved from Venezuela to the United States at a very young age and has lived in Pennsauken for over 20 years with her husband, Husan. They have a daughter, Karina, who was born in 2020. Jessica and her family own several small businesses in Pennsauken. 

Rafeh remains committed to creating a positive, enduring influence on her community through multiple initiatives, including supporting economic development and ensuring effective multilingual communications. Rafeh has worked to provide translations in Spanish and Arabic to bridge communication gaps for non-English speakers in her community. 

Previously, Rafeh was an adjunct professor at Rowan University, teaching courses in English as a Second Language; she has also earned her Master of Arts Degree in Higher Education from Rowan. She is fluent in Arabic, English, and Spanish.