For Immediate Release: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
ROCKVILLE, Md., Dec. 8, 2020—Today Councilmember Nancy Navarro was elected unanimously as the new president of the Corporate Board for the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), an organization that connects leaders in local jurisdictions across the Washington metropolitan area.
MWCOG aims to shape and strengthen communities by helping find common solutions to meet the region’s biggest challenges. The organization was formed in 1957 and has assisted local officials in confronting many of the region’s biggest challenges, including the initial completion of the regional Metro, enhancing emergency preparedness following 9/11, promoting equity and helping the area to weather the pandemic. Councilmember Navarro was first elected in 2014 to serve as part of MWCOG.
Much of Councilmember Navarro’s work on the board has been focused on equity. Thanks to her continuous efforts and work with MWCOG, coupled with the initiatives taken up in the County with her Council colleagues, the board reaffirmed racial equity as a fundamental value in its policies and practices in government and other industries.
“I want to thank my fellow MWCOG members for their confidence and support in electing me as president of the Corporate Board of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments,” said Councilmember Navarro, who also chairs the Council’s Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee. “I accept this assignment with great humility and excitement. It brings together all my work with my colleagues around the region on economic development, racial equity and social justice, education and municipal government. I am proud of the work we have done; as a result, MWCOG has helped the region weather many storms in the past, and in the last few years has made significant strides in fighting the twin pandemics of racial equity and Covid-19. I look forward to leading MWCOG in the year ahead and plan on leading our awesome team to bring us out of this difficult time firing on all cylinders.”
Councilmember Navarro has been a champion of regional cooperation and leveraging collaboration to spur innovation in housing and regional growth. In November, the Montgomery County Council unanimously approved two resolutions spearheaded by Councilmember Navarro to support MWCOG resolutions on new regional planning concepts that would allow for more informed decision-making and action in the region. One resolution endorses Equity Emphasis Areas (EEA) as a key planning concept and tool, while the other endorses the same for High-Capacity Transit (HCT) areas. In 2019 and again in 2020, she was elected as co-vice president of MWCOG in recognition of her leadership in passing a resolution calling for Montgomery County Government to work towards meeting updated housing targets set forth by MWCOG. In October 2021, the National Academy of Public Administration also selected Councilmember Navarro as a member of the 2021 Class of Academy Fellows. The selection for this prestigious fellowship is based on contributions to the field of public administration and policy.
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Release ID: 21-496