Our Moment Montgomery Will JawandoCounty Executive-Elect

Meet Will

A son of Montgomery County, ready to serve.

Will Jawando was born here, shaped here, and has spent his life working for the families of this county. He and his wife, Michele, are raising their four children in Montgomery County.

Will Jawando with his wife, Michele, their four children and family, April 2026
  1. Where he comes from

  2. 1983

    Born in Silver Spring

    Will “Yemi” Jawando is born in Silver Spring to Olayinka Jawando, a Nigerian immigrant, and Kathy Jacob, a proud Kansan, and grows up in a working family that struggled to make ends meet. After school he spends his afternoons in Silver Spring, where he meets the mentors he calls his seven Black fathers.

    Will’s father, Olayinka Jawando, with young Will, and Will today with his son, named for his grandfather

  3. 2004 – 2007

    Catholic University, and a first NAACP chapter

    At the Catholic University of America he starts the campus’s first NAACP chapter, then earns his law degree at its Columbus School of Law.

  4. Washington

  5. Capitol Hill

    Working for Obama, Pelosi and Sherrod Brown

    Will works on Capitol Hill for then-Senator Barack Obama, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi and Senator Sherrod Brown.

  6. 2009 – 2012

    The Obama White House

    He serves as Associate Director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, then as an advisor to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan. In 2011 President Obama welcomes Will, Michele and their four-month-old daughter Alia to the Oval Office.

    President Barack Obama greets Will, Michele and four-month-old Alia in the Oval Office, March 9, 2011
    Official White House Photo by Pete Souza

  7. Family and faith

    Husband, father, civil rights lawyer

    Will and Michele, married since 2006, are raising their four children in Montgomery County. He has worked as a civil rights attorney, and he sings in the choir at Kingdom Fellowship AME. His most important titles, he says, are father and husband.

    Will and Michele Jawando with their three daughters and son
  8. On the County Council

  9. December 3, 2018

    Sworn in wearing his father’s heritage

    Elected to the County Council at-large, representing all 1.1 million residents, Will takes the oath at Strathmore in a traditional Nigerian agbada to honor his heritage and his late father. Montgomery History now has the agbada in its collection.

    Will, in a blue agbada and cap, with his hand over his heart at his 2018 swearing-in
    Montgomery County Council

  10. February 2020

    The CROWN Act: a national first

    Montgomery County becomes the first county in the nation to ban discrimination against natural hairstyles like afros, braids, locks and twists. Will co-sponsors the bill: “discrimination on the basis of natural hair is race discrimination.”

    2020 – 2022

    Trust and accountability in policing

    Will’s Law Enforcement Trust and Transparency Act requires outside investigations of deaths involving police, and his Community Informed Police Training Act requires 30 hours of training in racial equity and conflict resolution, shaped by residents.

  11. During COVID

    Storytimes and libraries

    The Council’s lead for libraries, Will hosts more than 100 “Storytimes with Councilmember Will Jawando” during the pandemic, with guests including Montgomery County’s own Katie Ledecky and Emmy and Tony Award winner Cynthia Erivo.

    May 2022

    My Seven Black Fathers

    His memoir, published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, tells of the mentors who raised him up, of systemic racism and growing up a second-generation American, of lessons from President Obama, and of mending his relationship with his father.

  12. 2022

    Re-elected countywide

    Re-elected countywide, Will becomes Chair of the Council’s Education & Culture Committee, which oversees Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery College, the libraries and the arts. He also co-founded Summer RISE, the county’s youth employment program, and served as its first executive director. It has employed more than 10,000 young people since its founding.

  13. 2022 – 2026

    Chairing Education & Culture

    As chair, Will holds nearly 100 oversight sessions with Montgomery County Public Schools. He fights for full school funding, expanded Pre-K, special education, and mental health support for students and educators. He champions restorative justice practices so every student feels safe and welcome, and he secures a line-by-line, clickable school budget so families can see where every education dollar goes.

    Will speaks at the Wilson Wims Elementary School Blue Ribbon celebration, January 7, 2026
    Montgomery County Public Schools

  14. Good jobs

    Good jobs on county projects

    Will leads the largest prevailing wage expansion in Maryland history and requires local hiring on county-funded construction projects.

  15. July 2023

    Rent stabilization becomes law

    After years of organizing with tenants, starting with his own rent stabilization bill in 2021, Will helps shape and pass Maryland’s first permanent countywide rent stabilization law, capping yearly increases at inflation plus 3%, never more than 6%.

    Will speaks at a rent-stabilization rally with tenants behind him, July 18, 2023
    Montgomery County Council (CC BY 2.0)

  16. December 2024

    Vice President of the County Council

    His colleagues elect him Vice President of the Montgomery County Council.

    Will on the Council dais at the African Heritage Month commemoration, September 2025
    Montgomery County Council

  17. 2025

    Standing up for federal workers

    As federal cuts hit Montgomery County families, Will’s Expedited Bill 10-25 creates a County government hiring preference for displaced federal workers who live here. The Council passes it unanimously.

  18. 2026

  19. January – February 2026

    Standing up for immigrants and renters

    Will introduces bills responding to ICE activity in the county, and the Anti-Algorithmic Price Fixing Act to stop landlords from using pricing software to coordinate and inflate rents.

    Will speaks at a press conference beside immigrant-rights advocates, January 2026
    Benjamin Sky Brandt for the Montgomery County Council

  20. June 23, 2026

    Wins the Democratic primary

    Montgomery County Democrats choose Will as their nominee for County Executive.

    Will speaks at the Juneteenth Heritage Festival with Gov. Wes Moore seated behind him, June 19, 2026
    Maryland GovPics (CC BY 4.0)

  21. July 28, 2026

    Data center moratorium

    After Will led the push, the Council unanimously approves an 18-month moratorium on new data center permits, protecting the county’s power, water and quality of life while the county writes rules so data centers are a fair deal for our neighbors.

    November 3, 2026

    Elected County Executive

    Montgomery County elects Will Jawando its next County Executive.

  22. What comes next

  23. December 7, 2026

    Inauguration

    Sworn in at the Music Center at Strathmore, together with the Montgomery County Council. Our moment begins.

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