Another person with West Philly roots has been appointed to the School Reform Commission. Mayor Michael Nutter appointed novelist, arts advocate and professor Lorene Cary to the commission, which is charged with overseeing the city’s public school system.

Cary, 54, attended Henry C. Lea Elementary (4700 Locust St.), the University of Pennsylvania and is currently a creative writing instructor at Penn. Cary’s novel The Price of a Child, which tells the story of a slave who declares her freedom while traveling in Philadelphia in 1855 but whose child is still held in bondage in Virginia, was the first “One Book, One Philadelphia” selection in 2003.

“For me what is truly outstanding is that she has an incredible passion for the well-being of children,” Nutter said in a statement. “She cares very personally about parents and she’s very much focused on supporting teachers. She will be a tremendous asset to the School Reform Commission and the children of Philadelphia.”

Cary also started Art Sanctuary, an arts advocacy organization. She lives in East Falls with her husband Rev. Robert C. Smith, the rector of the Memorial Church of the Good Shepherd, and two daughters.

In many ways Cary is an atypical choice for the Commission, which has been made up mostly of lawyers, business people and bureaucrats since it began in 2001. Last month Nutter appointed West Philly resident Wendell Pritchett to the Commission.