Biography

Maya grew up in the Overbrook Park section of Philadelphia and graduated from the city’s prestigious Central High School. As a child, she frequently spent time in Upper Darby whether it was visiting the Bazaar of All Nations on family shopping trips or attending day camp at the Lansdowne Avenue YMCA where she later worked as a camp counselor.

Maya met her husband, Matt, in 1996, shortly after starting college at Temple University. While house hunting, the couple was drawn to Upper Darby Township because of it’s convenient location, accessibility on multiple forms of public transit and the availability of affordable homes. In 2001, they purchased a house  in the historic neighborhood of Oakview, close to the St. Charles Church, Kent Park,  Lindbergh Bridge and Swedish cabin along Darby Creek. Maya and her husband, Matt, are animal lovers who have adopted 6 cats and 2 dogs, all of which were rescued strays.

Maya Silva received her Bachelor’s degree from Temple University where she doubled majored in Religion and Criminal Justice and graduated with high honors (Summa Cum Laude with Distinction in Major). She went on to earn a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice in 2004 and  currently is completing her Ph.D.. Her 10 years of graduate level education have provided her with the skills to work as a social science researcher and college instructor. She currently works at Temple University.

Maya has presented scholarly research at numerous professional conferences including the Annual Meetings of the Eastern Sociological Society, the American Society of Criminology and the Justice Studies Association as well as the Ninth Annual Crime Mapping Conference, which was sponsored by the National Institute of Justice. She also has helped organize two scholarly conferences that were held in a large maximum security prison and attended by internationally recognized experts on crime, public safety and criminological theory. She also served as a member of the Local Advisory Committee for the 14th World Congress of Criminology from November 2004 to August 2005 and has been an external member of the Public Safety Initiative Steering Committee of the L.I.F.E.R.S. Inc. at the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Graterford, Pa. since November 2004, specifically focusing on community crime prevention and public policy issues.

Maya has lived in the Oakview section of Drexel Hill since 2001. As a private citizen, she has attended Upper Darby Township Council meetings about the Comprehensive Plan, the sale of the Whalen property, the Delaware County Ribbon of Green and the mini-police station on Long Lane. Between 2008 and 2010, Maya volunteered for the political campaigns of President Barack  Obama, Nancy Rhoades Koons for Common Pleas Court, Barbarann Keffer for Upper Darby Council-at-Large, Bryan Lentz for U.S. Congress, Admiral Joe Sestak for Senate, and Shannon P. Meehan for 163rd State Representative. She also has served as a Democratic committee person for the Second District, Second Precinct since she was elected in May 2010.