Natali Fani-González came to Montgomery County as an undocumented teenager and cleaned houses with her mother to help keep the family afloat. They fled violence and political upheaval in their native Venezuela, where she still has some relatives.

She taught herself English, graduated from high school, won a full scholarship to Goucher College and found a path to citizenship.

“I had to never lose hope and stay on a good path. That’s what helped me. I don’t have a criminal record,” said Fani-González. “Coming to this country is a big sacrifice, not just for you, but for your entire family.”

The Montgomery County Council, which governs the largest and wealthiest county in Maryland, on Tuesday unanimously voted Fani-González, 45, as its president.

Council President Kate Stewart chose not to run for a second one-year term and Vice President Will Jawando, who is focused on a run for county executive, chose not to seek the presidency.

Fani-González takes the top chair on the 11-member, all-Democrat council at a particularly fraught time, as the Trump administration slashes federal programs and jobs — including thousands within the county — and continues to deport immigrants.

Though the administration has heralded its intention to crack down on “the worst of the worst,” federal officials have detained and expelled nonviolent and documented immigrants.

Many immigrants in Montgomery County, which has the highest population in the state born outside the U.S., live in fear as they take their children to school and head to work.

Fani-González said she will draw from her own experiences as an immigrant to stand up for the county.

“People should know that they have people in elected offices like me who are going to continue fighting for you to ensure that you have high quality of life, and to continue to make this county an amazing place to live, regardless of what’s happening at the federal level,” she said after she was elected Tuesday.

How will she lead?

Fani-González began her public service career at Goucher, where she studied political science and international relations and later served on the Board of Trustees.

She later worked for CASA, a Silver Spring-based immigrant rights group, and advocated for the Maryland DREAM Act, which allows undocumented high schoolers who graduate from public schools in the state to receive in-state college tuition. She then worked in the communications department of the Service Employees International Union Local 500, and then opened her own communications firm.

When she was 33, the County Council appointed her to the planning board in 2014, making her its youngest member. She became its vice chair in 2019. In her time on the board, Fani-González played a large part in the development and passage of the Thrive Montgomery 2050 master plan.

She won her seat on the council in 2022, representing District 6, which includes Wheaton, Glenmont and Aspen Hill.

As a council member, she’s jumped into housing, one of the county’s most contentious issues. Her firm support for efforts to increase density have endeared her to those who want to build more multifamily housing and riled residents who worry that these changes will overcrowd neighborhoods and intensify traffic.

Her sponsorship of the polarizing More Housing N.O.W. workforce housing legislative package, and support of most proposals to upzone portions of the county, have led some residents to call for her removal from office.

‘We need to be realistic’

Fani-González has gone toe-to-toe with County Executive Marc Elrich, often publicly criticizing his positions on housing and taxes and voicing frustration over his decisions, like the cancellation of the Hispanic Heritage Festival in October. Elrich said he did it out of concerns about potential ICE raids. Fani-González countered that Latino identity “should not be a reason to live with fear.”

She told The Banner on Tuesday that she “looks forward to working with” Elrich and prioritizes collaboration with the executive branch.

She said she wants to use her one-year term create jobs, expand the tax base and support federal workers and police officers, including with a refurbished police station.

One of the council’s toughest challenges in 2026 will be the county’s operating budget, which is tightening following reductions in federal and state aid. Fani-González said she’s not afraid to make cuts.

“We need to be realistic with what we can do as a county,” she told The Banner, “and be very smart about those investments.”

Fani-González laughed when asked about what she likes to do in her downtime: “It’s hard to do when you have kids!”

She and her husband, a Marine Corp. veteran, have a 12- and 13-year-old, both students in Montgomery County Public Schools. She said she likes to cook with them and to run marathons.

“But I’m not very fast,” she said.