Former school board president Shebra Evans will fill the at-large Montgomery County Council seat vacated this month by Gabe Albornoz. Her term will run through December 2026.

The council voted unanimously for Evans on Tuesday.

Evans, of Silver Spring, sat on the county school board from 2016 through 2024. She served two consecutive terms as board president and twice as vice president. Seeking a third term, she lost her seat to challenger Laura Stewart in the 2024 election.

She headed the board’s Communication and Stakeholder Engagement Committee and also served as treasurer of the Maryland Association of Boards of Education. She held multiple roles with Montgomery County Council of PTAs.

Albornoz left his seat on Dec. 1 and is expected to head the county’s recreation department.

According to the county’s charter and code, a vacancy occurring on or after Dec. 1 the year before the election is filled with an appointee. Had Albornoz set his resignation date for even one day prior, a special election would have been required.

The council interviewed three finalists on Dec. 2 out of a pool of 67 applicants.

Candidates who are running for a council seat in 2026 were not eligible, so none would have an incumbent’s advantage.

Evans was sworn in following Tuesday’s council meeting.

“I promised to listen to everybody and keep our residents in mind with everything I say and do,” she said following the ceremony.

Evans will serve on the Government Operations and Education and Culture committees.

Albornoz sworn into his new/old job

The council also unanimously confirmed Albornoz Tuesday as the county’s new recreation director. He previously held the role from 2007 through 2018 and replaces Robin Riley, who retired earlier this year.

Albornoz served as the council’s president in 2022 and chair of the Health and Human Services Committee. In Albornoz’s place, Council President Natali Fani-González appointed at-large member Laurie-Anne Sayles to head the health committee.