WORCESTER - Coreen Gaffney, a resident of the University Park area, has announced her candidacy for the District 4 City Council seat.

Ms. Gaffney, the wife of Councilor-at-Large Michael T. Gaffney, had taken out nomination papers for both the District 4 contest and School Committee. Of the two, she decided to make a run for the District 4 seat now held by Sarai Rivera.

In her announcement, she described herself an "independent thinker" who reaches her own decisions based upon the information she gathers after carefully weighing all options.

Ms. Gaffney said her strong leadership experience in the corporate environment, along with her experiences in various volunteer roles in the city, will enable her to be a successful District 4 city councilor.

She said she has held several leadership roles professionally, including her current role as an assistant vice president at the Hanover Insurance Group, where she manages diverse teams and is responsible for crafting and meeting budgetary requirements.

Ms. Gaffney is no stranger to City Hall and has a history of civic engagement. She served two terms on the Citizens Advisory Council, which recruits, screens and recommends candidates to the city manager for appointment to city boards and commissions.

While on the advisory council, she was part of a team that created and implemented a strategy that successfully increased the pool of candidates for boards and commissions, and increased the diversity of their memberships.

In her final term, when she was elected chairman of the Citizens Advisory Council, she said, she worked to create a welcoming environment for all applicants.

Ms. Gaffney is also a board member of Park Spirit, which advocates for Worcester's parks and holds free events throughout the year in several parks, including those in District 4. She said she is working with Park Spirit to increase the number of those events so more people can enjoy them.

Ms. Gaffney also chairs the board of advisory of Project New Hope, an organization that provides vital services to area veterans, active military and their families. Other volunteer activities include being a docent at the Salisbury Mansion, which is part of the Worcester Historical Museum.

She earned a bachelor of science in history from Northeastern University and a master of science in insurance management from Boston University. She earned the Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter insurance professional designation and recently completed a strategic leadership program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Five people have taken out nomination papers for the District 4 contest. If more than two qualify for the ballot, a preliminary election will be held for that race on Sept. 12 to narrow the field to two for the Nov. 7 municipal election.

Ms. Gaffney and her husband, a two-term city councilor, live at 21 Illinois St.