Nelson attended Central High School and graduated in 1998.
He then graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2002 with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science, and earned an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in 2007.
[1] In 2019, former state representative Steve McCarter announced that he would not seek re-election in 2020,[4] and Nelson ran for the open seat.
He assumed office on December 1, 2020, becoming the first black state representative for Pennsylvania's 154th District.
[5] Nelson currently sits on the Aging & Older Adult Services, Children & Youth, Education, and Finance committees.