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]
Navarro resides in Silver Spring,Maryland with her husband,Reginald,and their two daughters,Anais and Isabel.[1]
Awards and accolades
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]
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