Rep. Nikki Rivera's Biography

State Representative Nikki Rivera

State Rep. Nikki Rivera believes her mission in the PA House of Representatives is to do everything possible to ensure that the 96^th Legislative District is a thriving community in which all residents are valued and belong. Rep. Rivera will draw on her deep experience of teaching students from Central Pennsylvania’s diverse communities and serving as a school board member to advance legislation that will improve the lives of all of Pennsylvania’s residents.

A 1994 University of Pittsburgh graduate, Rep. Rivera for the past 30 years has taught high school Spanish in the Warwick School District, where she also served as a GSA club advisor for the LGBTQ school community, the Spanish Honor Society advisor for students who excel in their linguistic studies, and as a SAP team member, a program that assists students by connecting them with mental and physical health resources to ensure better school success. She also served as a longtime school board member working to improve public education. Rep. Rivera served as Manheim Township School board director from July 2016 through November 2024, and school board president from 2017-21 and 2023-24. She was also IU-13 board member from 2018-2024 and vice president from 2019-2024.

Rep. Rivera has lived in Manheim Township since 1995 with her husband, Ramón. They are the proud parents of 5 children, ages 17 to 28. 

Rep. Rivera’s legislative goals include:

• Strengthening the commonwealth’s public schools through a fair funding system that rectifies structural inequities as well as provides varied pathways to high school graduation, which would in turn support different career opportunities.

• Supporting strong unions and Pennsylvania’s workforce through the establishment of a living wage for all workers and apprenticeship programs to help organizations grow their next generation of employees, whether in business and industry, education, or health care. 

• Offering efficient and effective physical and mental health care options that will guarantee reproductive freedom and provide easy-to-understand and inclusive insurance plans and manageable out-of-pocket expenses for doctor visits and prescriptions.

• Ensuring a clean environment by educating youth and families about recycling needs and ways to reduce waste, and by preserving parks and farmlands.

• Making the commonwealth a community where no one is marginalized -- regardless of ethnicity, religion, socioeconomic class, sexual preference or gender identification.