Nancy Navarro

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]

Nancy Navarro
Member of the Montgomery County Council
from the 4th district
In office
2009 – December 5, 2022
Preceded byDonald Praisner
Succeeded byKate Stewart
Personal details
Born (1965-08-15) August 15, 1965
Caracas, Venezuela
Political partyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Missouri (BS)

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]

Early life and education

Navarro was born in Caracas, Venezuela.[2] She graduated from University of Missouri-Columbia with a Bachelor's of Science in Psychology.[2]

Career

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]

Personal life

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]

References
  1. "About Nancy Navarro - Councilmember, District 4". Montgomery County, Maryland. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  2. "About Nancy". Councilwoman Nancy Navarro. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  3. Iyer, Kaanita (2021-03-05). "Latina councilmember mocked for accent while discussing racial disparities in Maryland". USA Today. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  4. "Latina Councilmember Is 'Absolutely Proud' of Her Accent After Zoom Attendees Mock Her Pronunciation". PEOPLE.com. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  5. Harmeet Kaur (4 March 2021). "A Latina councilmember's discussion on Zoom about racial disparities was interrupted by people laughing about her accent". CNN. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  6. "Latina lawmaker's accent mocked in hot mic moment while delivering speech on racism". The Independent. 2021-03-08. Archived from the original on 2022-06-18. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  7. "Nancy Navarro To Receive Hispanic Hero Award". Montgomery County Public Schools. 2007-05-04. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  8. Barrios, Jennifer. "Nancy Navarro elected president of Montgomery County Council". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  9. Kazanjian, Glynis (2020-09-10). "Coalition of Heavyweight Insiders Launches Opposition to Montgomery County Ballot Measures". Maryland Matters. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  10. DePuyt, Bruce (October 12, 2021). "Rushern Baker Taps Nancy Navarro, Montgomery Councilmember, as Running Mate". Maryland Matters. Retrieved October 13, 2021.
  11. "Board of Education Member Navarro Receives Leadership Award". Montgomery County Public Schools. 2009-02-09. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  12. Sprehn-Malagónm, Maria; Hernandez-Fujigaki, Jorge; Robinson, Linda (2014-07-21). Latinos in the Washington Metro Area. Arcadia Publishing. ISBN 978-1-4396-4630-4.
  13. "Nancy Navarro". Empower Montgomery. Retrieved 2021-03-29.
  14. "Nancy Navarro To Be Inducted Into County Women's History Archives". Rockville, MD Patch. 2020-01-22. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  15. Shahzad, Maryam (2020-01-23). "Commission for Women to Induct Nancy Navarro into Women's History Archive". Montgomery Community Media. Retrieved 2021-04-01.
  16. Incorporated, Prime. "National Academy of Public Administration". National Academy of Public Administration. Retrieved 2023-04-21.
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