Commission For Women Elects New President; Executive Appoints Four New Members

dv/cfwpres.pr 97-244 Contact: Judith Vaughan-Prather (301)279-8301

COMMISSION FOR WOMEN ELECTS
NEW PRESIDENT; EXECUTIVE
APPOINTS FOUR NEW MEMBERS For Immediate Release: August 1, 1997

The Montgomery County Commission for Women has elected Dr. Julia Maria da
Silva as its 1997-98 president and welcomed four new commissioners, who were appointed
by County Executive Douglas M. Duncan.
A native of Brazil, Dr. da Silva came to this country in 1993 and became involved
with the Commission for Women as a volunteer. She worked in the commission's office,
consulting on the initial status of women project and editing the commission's newsletter.
When she was appointed to the commission in September 1995, Dr. da Silva served as co-
chair of the Status of Women project and worked on the Montgomery County follow-up
conference to the U.N. World Conference on Women.
Dr. da Silva is the conference coordinator for the American Psychological Association
in Washington, D.C. and was formerly the Director of Communication for the Inter-
American Development Bank's Family Association in Bethesda. In Brazil, she served as
advisor to the Secretary of Planning for the Sao Paulo state government, consultant to the
Public Administration Foundation, member of the Board and Director of Studies Division at
the National School of Public Administration, and chief of the Technical Education Studies
Division, Ministry of Labor, in Brasilia.
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Dr. da Silva, who resides in Bethesda, received her Ph.D. from the Latin American High
Studies Institute in Paris, France, and is the first Latina to serve as president of the
Commission for Women.
NEW APPOINTEES
Anna M. Flores, of Gaithersburg, is the director of the Office of Consumer Affairs
with the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia. She is also a member of
the County Executive's Hispanic/Latino Advisory Group and the county NAACP Multi-
cultural Community Partnership. She has served as the Executive Director of the National
Association of Consumer Agency Administrators and as the Citizen and Consumer Affairs
Specialist for the Arlington County Manager.
M. Elizabeth Joyce, a Silver Spring resident, is an editorial consultant with the
National Council on the Aging and president of Montgomery County NOW. She has
volunteered for the Montgomery County Literacy Council, teaching English as a second
language, and has worked with the Commission for Women on its Legislative Briefing and on
last fall's seminar on the U.N. World Conference on Women.
Evelyn Steward, of Rockville, a senior executive for the Calvert Group in Bethesda,
has received numerous awards for her work in family-friendly personnel policies. As the
director of Human Resources for the Calvert Group, she implemented work-life programs
aimed at helping working parents balance work and family demands, created a flexible
benefits program and initiated many policies designed to eliminate discrimination in the
workplace.
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COMMISSION FOR WOMEN 3-3-3-3

Barbara Zelenko, from Chevy Chase, currently volunteers in the chairman's office of
the National Endowment for the Arts. As the assistant director of the President's Interagency
Council on Women, she was instrumental in implementing the plan of action proposed at the
U.N. World Conference on Women. She was also president of the Women's National
Democratic Club, served as assistant to the Deputy Staff Director and personal assistant to
the First Lady and worked for President Carter's Assistant for Domestic Policy and Women's
issues.
Commissioners Frances Coates, Kevin Hessler and Mary Ellen Stein were
reappointed to serve for three more years.
The Montgomery County Commission for Women is a 15-member citizen advisory
board, whose members are appointed by the County Executive and confirmed by the County
Council, serving three-year terms without compensation. Established by an act of County
law in 1972, the commission is charged with the responsibility of advising the County
Executive, County Council, the public and agencies of the county, state and federal
government on issues of concern to the women of Montgomery County. The Commission
also sponsors a women's counseling and career center providing personal and career
counseling, groups and workshops, information and referral, and other services to women
experiencing life transitions.
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