Sara B. Tennen Appointed to the Montgomery County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council
We are proud to announce that our Executive Director, Sara Tennen, has been appointed by County Executive Marc Elrich to the Montgomery County Domestic Violence Coordinating Council. We are grateful to County Executive Elrich for this honor and for his commitment to elevating survivor-centered voices in county leadership.
Sara will serve as a representative from a non-governmental domestic violence service and advocacy organization, bringing the perspective of frontline survivor advocacy directly into county-level policy and coordination efforts.
About the Council
The 19-member Coordinating Council plays a central role in Montgomery County’s response to domestic violence. Its work spans policy, coordination, and accountability: advising the County Executive, County Council, and Criminal Justice Coordinating Commission on legislation and programs needed to prevent domestic violence; promoting an effective, community-wide response; and coordinating with the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence and the full range of county, state, federal, and nongovernmental partners working on domestic violence programs and services.
The Council also develops recommendations to strengthen coordination across government and nonprofit efforts, works with the Abused Persons Program in HHS to review the quality of services available to survivors, offenders, and their children, and obtains and evaluates findings from the County’s Domestic Violence Fatality Review Team. It advocates for policy and legislative improvements at the local, state, and federal levels — and grounds all of that advocacy in data, regularly reviewing statistics and reports related to domestic violence in the County.
Why This Matters
This appointment is a meaningful milestone as we continue to grow our presence in Maryland and deepen our commitment to survivors. The Council plays a vital role in advising county leadership, coordinating community-wide responses to domestic violence, and advocating for stronger policies and programs for those affected. We couldn’t be more excited to contribute to that work in this new way.
