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Nancy Navarro is an American politician who serves as president of the Montgomery County Council in Maryland. Montgomery County is the most populous county in the state, with over a million residents. Navarro was first elected to the council in a 2009 special election, and was its first Latina member. She represents District 4, which includes Wheaton, Glenmont, Aspen Hill, Ashton, and Laytonsville.

Life
Navarro was born in Caracas, Venezuela. At the age of 10 she moved with her family to Rolla, Missouri. She first became active in politics while studying at the University of Missouri, advocating for U.S. divestment in South Africa to end apartheid. After graduating with a B.A. degree in Psychology, she worked as a case worker with the elderly.

In the 1990s she and her husband moved to Maryland, where she was active in her local and county PTSA. In 1998 she co-founded a nonprofit organization based in Silver Spring, Maryland, that helped Latino women become certified as child care providers. She was appointed to the Montgomery County Board of Education in 2004, was re-elected in 2006, and served two terms as Board President. Together with fellow board member Valerie Ervin, she prompted the school board to pay more attention to equity issues. During her presidency she created an award-winning Translation Unit which provides simultaneous translation for non-English-speaking parents. In 2007 and 2008 she was part of a Montgomery County Public Schools team that took part in Harvard University's Public Education Leadership Project, focusing on race, poverty, and the academic achievement gap.

In 2009 she was elected to the Montgomery County Council, where she chairs the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee and serves on the Education Committee. She was elected to serve as Council Vice President in 2012, and as Council President in 2013 and 2019. In 2011, President Barack Obama appointed Navarro to the President's Advisory Commission on Educational Excellence for Hispanics, where she served on the Early Childhood Education Committee. As the representative of a district with a large number of Latino constituents, she launched the Latino Civic Project to encourage civic engagement. During her second term as president, the council passed a controversial ordinance allowing accessory apartments to provide more affordable housing.

Navarro has been active as a volunteer and served on a variety of boards and task forces. Her roles have included PTSA co-president, co-founder of the Montgomery County Nonprofit Village, and member of the Montgomery County Gang Prevention Task Force, among others. She currently sits on the board of directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments and the Ana G. Méndez Advisory Board.

Awards

 * Women Who Dare Leadership Award, Maryland State Department of Education, 2001
 * Poder con Ganas Award, Hispanic Democratic Club of Montgomery County
 * Hispanic Hero Award, U.S. Hispanic Youth Entrepreneur Education, 2007
 * Woman of Achievement Award, Montgomery County Business and Professional Women Association, 2007
 * Heart of the Community Award, Community Teachers Institute
 * Maryland's Top 100 Women Award, 2009 and 2013
 * Elected Local Government Official of the Year Award, Mid-Atlantic Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, 2010
 * Presidential Medal, Ana G. Méndez University, 2014
 * John Greeley Award, Liberty's Promise, 2016
 * Phyllis Campbell Newsome Public Policy Leadership Award, Center for Nonprofit Advancement, 2016