Women's History Month

Honoring Incredible Women of Montgomery County

The Month of March marks the annual celebration of Women's achievement both nationally and across the globe. The Connect Montgomery Alliance (CoMo) is committed to celebrating Montgomery County women's contributions who have impacted our community, our nation, and our world. Read more about the trailblazers from Montgomery County:

Dr. DeRionne Pollard

Dr. DeRionne Pollard Is the President of Montgomery College, a three-campus community college with over 50K credit and non-credit students. During her time as President of Montgomery College, Dr. Pollard oversaw and spearheaded its new mission and strategic plan. She has been named one of Washington’s 100 most influential women by Washington Magazine, serves on the board of multiple county initiatives, and won an Academic Leadership Award from Carnegie Corporation of New York.

Katie Ledecky

Katie Ledecky is an American competitive swimmer from Bethesda who won five Olympic Gold Medals between the London and Rio Olympics in 2012 and 2016. Ledecky proceeded her Olympic run with two national championships as a part of the Stanford University swim team and is gearing up to compete in Tokyo in the summer. Among her many accolades, Katie has been named Associated Press Female Athlete of the Year in 2017, US Olympic Committee’s Female Athlete of the Year three times, and Swimming World’s Female World Swimmer for the year five times. The video below (from 2013) profiles her life and early achievements as an olympian.

Councilmember Nancy Navarro

Councilmember Nancy Navarro is a Venezuelan American legislator, the first Latina to serve on the Montgomery County, Maryland Council. Montgomery County, the largest populated County in Maryland, has grown both in numbers and diversity in the past three decades and is home to over a million residents that are majority people of color. Prior to her service on the County Council, she served on the Montgomery County Board of Education for five years. Video below is from 2018 when Navarro last served as Council president.

Dominique Dawes

Dominque Dawes is a retired gymnast who was also the first African American gymnast to win an Olympic Gold Medal. Dawes is a three-time Olympian and the only American gymnast to medal at three different Olympic Games, the first female African-American gymnast to win an individual award. A native of Silver Spring, MD, Dawes attended the University of Maryland and has appeared on Broadway. Today she is a motivational speaker, mother of four, and runs her own gymnastics academy.

Avery Smedley

Avery Smedley is a Youth Activist from Montgomery County who started Students Toward Equitable Public Schools (STEPS), a group dedicated to bringing equity to Montgomery County Schools. Avery's passion for racial equity is fueling an entire generation. In 2021, Avery and the STEP'S group worked to have policy adopted to improve distance learning while promoting racial justice. The future is bright with Avery at the helm.

Nancy Dacek

Nancy Dacek, a member of the Montgomery County Council from 1990-2002 — and one of the few Republicans to serve on that body during the past half century. A resident of Montgomery County for more than 40 years, Dacek also served as chair of the county’s Board of Elections for four years following her time on the council.