Nancy Navarro | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Member of the
Montgomery County Council from the 4th district | |
In office 2009 – December 5, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Donald Praisner |
Succeeded by | Kate Stewart |
Personal details | |
Born | Caracas, Venezuela | August 15, 1965
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of Missouri ( BS) |
Nancy Navarro (born August 15, 1965) is a Venezuelan-American politician and the first Latina county council member in Montgomery County, Maryland. [1] She served on the county council from 2009 to 2022, representing District 4, the largest and most diverse district in the county. [2]
Navarro was appointed to the President’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics by President Barack Obama in 2011. [2]
Navarro received international attention in March 2021 when two technicians were heard laughing at her accent during a virtual council meeting while she was speaking about inequitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccination. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Navarro was born in Caracas, Venezuela. [2] She graduated from University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology. [2]
Before running for public office, Navarro was an educator in the Montgomery County Public School System. She was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Education in 2004. [1] She served five years on the Board of Education and held the offices of both President and Vice-President. During her time on the school board, Navarro co-founded Centro Familia, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist the economic and educational development of Latino and other immigrant communities. [7]
Navarro was elected to Maryland's Montgomery County County council in a May 2009 special election. She is a self-proclaimed progressive Democrat who has championed legislation to increase racial equity, provide resources to Latinos striving for higher education and increase economic development. [2]
In October 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Navarro as a member of the President’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, where she served on the Early Childhood Education Committee. [2]
In 2018, she was president of the Montgomery County Council. [8] In 2020, she opposed ballot questions B and D. [9]
In 2022, Rushern Baker chose Navarro as his running mate in the Democratic primary of the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election. [10]
Navarro resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, Reginald, and their two daughters, Anais and Isabel. [1]
In 2007, Navarro was awarded the Hispanic Hero Award by the U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education. [7] She is also a 2009 recipient of the Heart of the Community Award from the Community Teachers Institute. [11] [12] Additionally, she has received the Maryland State Department of Education "Women Who Dare" Leadership Award, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County Leadership Award. [13] In 2020, she was inducted into the County Women's History Archives. [14] [15] In 2021, Navarro was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. [16]
Nancy Navarro | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Member of the
Montgomery County Council from the 4th district | |
In office 2009 – December 5, 2022 | |
Preceded by | Donald Praisner |
Succeeded by | Kate Stewart |
Personal details | |
Born | Caracas, Venezuela | August 15, 1965
Political party | Democratic |
Education | University of Missouri ( BS) |
Nancy Navarro (born August 15, 1965) is a Venezuelan-American politician and the first Latina county council member in Montgomery County, Maryland. [1] She served on the county council from 2009 to 2022, representing District 4, the largest and most diverse district in the county. [2]
Navarro was appointed to the President’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics by President Barack Obama in 2011. [2]
Navarro received international attention in March 2021 when two technicians were heard laughing at her accent during a virtual council meeting while she was speaking about inequitable distribution of the COVID-19 vaccination. [3] [4] [5] [6]
Navarro was born in Caracas, Venezuela. [2] She graduated from University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology. [2]
Before running for public office, Navarro was an educator in the Montgomery County Public School System. She was elected to the Montgomery County Board of Education in 2004. [1] She served five years on the Board of Education and held the offices of both President and Vice-President. During her time on the school board, Navarro co-founded Centro Familia, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist the economic and educational development of Latino and other immigrant communities. [7]
Navarro was elected to Maryland's Montgomery County County council in a May 2009 special election. She is a self-proclaimed progressive Democrat who has championed legislation to increase racial equity, provide resources to Latinos striving for higher education and increase economic development. [2]
In October 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Navarro as a member of the President’s Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, where she served on the Early Childhood Education Committee. [2]
In 2018, she was president of the Montgomery County Council. [8] In 2020, she opposed ballot questions B and D. [9]
In 2022, Rushern Baker chose Navarro as his running mate in the Democratic primary of the 2022 Maryland gubernatorial election. [10]
Navarro resides in Silver Spring, Maryland with her husband, Reginald, and their two daughters, Anais and Isabel. [1]
In 2007, Navarro was awarded the Hispanic Hero Award by the U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education. [7] She is also a 2009 recipient of the Heart of the Community Award from the Community Teachers Institute. [11] [12] Additionally, she has received the Maryland State Department of Education "Women Who Dare" Leadership Award, and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Montgomery County Leadership Award. [13] In 2020, she was inducted into the County Women's History Archives. [14] [15] In 2021, Navarro was elected as a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. [16]