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]
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 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]
Current members of the Montgomery County Council
