Community Action Board to Honor Graduates of the 2017 Leadership Development Institute

For Immediate Release: Tuesday, May 9, 2017

The Montgomery County Community Action Board will honor sixteen graduates of its Leadership Development Institute (LDI) on May 10 at the Silver Spring Civic Center. The event starts at 6 p.m.

The Community Action Board recruited residents with modest incomes to participate in its new program, conceived by Matthew J. Green, Jr., the previous chair.  The group, which first met in October, joined in a series of five workshops led by Board members, elected officials, and representatives of County government agencies and local non-profits.

Monthly sessions helped LDI participants learn how to engage elected officials, navigate the legislative process and government, use storytelling for advocacy, understand issues facing people with lower-incomes, and craft effective letters and testimony. 

During a practice session held at the Council Office Building, each participant shared their testimony and received feedback. In April, several members chose to testify during the County Council’s budget hearings. 

The LDI graduates, a group that is diverse in age, background, country of origin, and area of residence within the county, will be recognized for learning how to effectively advocate on behalf of their respective communities.

"We are very excited to have had a small role in helping our participants to build these skills, as the foundation of Community Action is maximum feasible participation, engaging all partners, especially our struggling neighbors," notes Pamela Luckett, chair of the Board.

The Community Action Board is the County’s federally designated anti-poverty group. The Board serves in an advisory role to the County Executive and the County Council, and as an advocate for residents with low income. The Board provides governance to the County’s Department of Health and Human Services’ Community Action Agency programs, including Head Start.

For more information or to request accommodations to attend, please call the Community Action Agency at 240-777-1697 or Maryland Relay at 711.

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Release ID: 17-439
Media Contact: Sharon Strauss 240-777-1697