A transformational change agent
My name is Deni Taveras, and I am running for Maryland State Delegate in District 47B. I have lived in Gorgeous, Prince George’s County, for over 20 years and have grown to care deeply about my district residents and the dire needs of my often-forgotten, vulnerable community. I am running because I want us to finish what we started. We deserve better public schools, safer, cleaner streets, and sustainable economic development.
“I am running for State Delegate because we deserve better public schools, safer, cleaner streets and sustainable economic development. I’ve started to deliver that for you, but we need to finish what we started.”
Humble Beginnings, Bold Dreams
I was born and raised in Harlem, New York. From humble immigrant beginnings, my parents immigrated to New York, where they met. My mother was employed as a factory worker and my dad as a taxi driver. After losing my mom at the age of four, and my dad, who was murdered when I was eight, I was raised by my maternal grandmother.
My grandmother, who had a first-grade education, taught me the value of hard work and persistence. All she could do was send me to public schools from K-12. I was blessed to have her until my junior year in college.
I understand firsthand the struggles of those with limited financial resources and limited language skills. I saw how my grandmother struggled to make ends meet sewing piecework. My escape from our daily struggles was reading and attending school. I read as many books as I could and worked hard in school. I knew my grandmother could not afford to send me to college, so a scholarship was my only route.
Believes Everyone Deserves a Quality Education
I earned a BA from Barnard College and an MS from the University of Utah, both in chemistry. I later worked for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under former administrator Lisa P. Jackson, who recommended that I attend Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs (now renamed the School of Public and International Affairs). At Princeton University, I earned a dual master’s degree in public affairs and urban regional planning, with a certificate in science, technology, and environmental policy. After Princeton, I moved to the District of Columbia for a year before settling in Adelphi, where I believed my skills were needed most.
A Fighter for all Communities
Over the past twenty years, I have been a strong pro-social justice and pro-choice advocate, working to improve the lives of working families and those in urban communities. I have fought for environmental justice, served in response to Hurricane Katrina, developed re-entry program strategies for formerly incarcerated individuals, and worked on a multitude of issues including the DREAM Act Referendum. Along the way, I have built strong coalitions and alliances within and outside of my community.
“Along the way, I have built strong coalitions and alliances within and outside of my community. I am a transformational change agent.”
As County Councilmember District 2, I delivered:
$10 billion in INFRASTRUCTURE deveLopment
Construction of 9 new schools in the pipelIne, 3 constructed, 3 in design, and 3 in construction (4 schools were consolidated into 2 schools)
Construction of 2 new libraries: Hyattsville Library, which is open and operating, and Langley Park Library, which is still in the planning phase
Ensured all projects, including the Multigenerational Recreation Center in Hyattsville, were left paid for
Provided $6 million in sustainability grants to small businesses along the Purple Line construction
And there is still more to do