Kate Stewart, Montgomery County, MD Councilmember, District 4

Kate Stewart won election to Montgomery County, Maryland’s new Council District 4, representing Takoma Park, Silver Spring, Montgomery Hills, Kensington, Garrett Park, parts of Chevy Chase and North Bethesda in November 2022. She chairs the Government Operations and Fiscal Policy Committee.

Prior to joining the County Council, Stewart served as the Mayor of Takoma Park since 2015, after she won a special election to the Takoma Park City Council the previous year. During her tenure in Takoma Park City Hall, she led efforts to manage issues ranging from the COVID-19 crisis to local climate change mitigation to major and systemic underlying economic inequalities and racial injustices. Her record shows that effective government is the product of effective leadership.

Stewart is the 2023 Chair of the Board of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (MWCOG), a regional organization with membership of 300 elected officials from 24 local governments in the DMV area, the Maryland and Virginia state legislatures, and U.S. Congress. Prior to that, she served in separate positions as Vice-Chair of MWCOG and as Secretary-Treasurer; she chaired the MWCOG Taskforce to Develop Racial Equity Trainings for Regional Leaders, and served on the MWCOG Taskforce on D.C. Statehood. She also previously served as co-chair for the National League of Cities Racial Equity And Leadership Council (REAL), and on the board of the Mayors Innovation Project, a national organization of mayors.

Prior to being elected to the Montgomery County Council, Stewart served as a principal at ConwayStrategic, where she developed communications strategies to shape public opinion on reproductive rights. Earlier, she was a partner at a research and communications firm where she provided strategic advice to a range of progressive organizations.

Stewart earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Haverford College, a Master of Science degree from the University of Maryland, and taught as an Adjunct Professor at American University. She spoke at the WeLead2023 Graduation.