About Laurie-Anne

Laurie-Anne Sayles is a change agent, a policymaker, and an advocate who believes you can achieve any goals you set for yourself if you work hard. This life has afforded her many opportunities to overcome challenging situations and use her life experiences to fuel a steadfast commitment to helping others who are less fortunate. She has fought for expanded access to early childhood education, a $15 minimum wage, a cleaner, safer, healthier environment, equal rights, and immigration reform, just to name a few. 

Elected in 2017, Laurie-Anne made history, becoming the first African American councilmember in Gaithersburg, and she has hit the ground running ever since.

In the National League of Cities, she chairs its Community and Economic Development Committee and serves on its Board of Directors. She also served on its Transportation and Infrastructure Services Committee and two of its constituency groups - twice on the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials as Region 3 Director, and Second Vice Chair of Women in Municipal Government. She was the 2020 WIMG Leadership Award winner.

Recognized for her substantial community involvement and advocacy for increased female representation in public service, Laurie-Anne was awarded the 2018 Daily Record Top 100 Women in Maryland award.

Laurie-Anne also chairs the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Chesapeake Bay & Water Resources Policy Committee and serves on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Municipal League (MML), and is a member of its Legislative Committee.

Laurie-Anne Sayles was born and raised in Maryland and is the youngest of six children to Hilda and Perry Sayles. Her parents immigrated from Jamaica in search of the American dream and instilled a value of service, advocacy, and compassion, which has shaped her political and professional career.

She lives in Gaithersburg with her daughter, a Montgomery County Public School graduate and a sophomore at the University of Maryland, College Park, and her two rescue dogs, Bella and Max. During her free time, she enjoys hiking the Muddy Branch trails in Gaithersburg, supporting small businesses across the county, and volunteering wherever she is needed to fulfill her passion for helping others.

Career

With over a decade of a career in public service, Laurie-Anne has shaped local, regional, and national policy; promoted educational and health equity; advocated for environmental protection; and encouraged thousands in voting, campaigns, and other parts of the political process.

Throughout her career in public health, Laurie-Anne has advocated for health equity and access to care. Professionally, she is a senior consultant with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, working to ensure the manufacture and distribution of effective and safe drugs, treatments, practices, and medical products for all residents in the United States. She has also worked as a Paraeducator and Substitute Teacher with MCPS and Senior Project Manager in consultation with the Nature Conservancy and the National Institutes of Health. 

Education

Laurie-Anne earned her: Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of Maryland, College Park, and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Baltimore School of Public Administration, where she received a graduate fellowship to hone her policymaking skills at the Schaeffer Center for Public Policy. 

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