Equity + Governance Task Force

The National Association of Counties and President Mary Jo McGuire are excited to announce members and co-chairs of NACo’s Equity + Governance Task Force, which is working to identify, prioritize and develop the tools and resources counties need to advance equity in our communities.

Led by Commissioner Sarah Lopez (Sedgwick County, Kan.) and Andrew Strong, Director of the Office of Equity & Racial Justice (San Diego County, Calif.), the task force is delving into top challenges around equity work in county government and advising on new resources and opportunities NACo can offer to support county leaders. Currently identified priorities include creating strategic plans to operationalize equity work, creating and standardizing shared terminology, building a strong collective narrative and communicating the data needs and return on investment for implementing equitable policies and practices. The Task Force met virtually in October 2023 and January 2024 to set priorities and identify gaps in resources and will conclude its work with a report on final recommendations and an in-person event at the 2024 NACo Annual Conference in Hillsborough County, Fla.  

For more information on the Equity + Governance Task Force, please contact Nastassia Walsh at nwalsh@naco.org. 

NACo Equity + Governance Task Force Members:

• Co-Chair: Sarah Lopez, County Commissioner, Sedgwick County, Kan.
• Co-Chair: Andrew Strong, Director, Office of Equity and Racial Justice, San Diego County, Calif.
• Latiffe Amado, Equity Manager, Lane County, Ore.
• Amber Barnett, Arlington County, Va.
• Ra'Mona Brown-Carter, DEI Program Manager, Baltimore County, Md.
• Karla Bruce, Chief Equity Officer, Fairfax County, Va.
• Elisha Buchholz, Equity Coordinator, Missoula County, Mont.
• Maria Burgos, Chief Equity and Inclusion Officer, Prince William County, Md.
• Simone Burley, Director of Diversity & Outreach, Franklin County, Ohio
• Dan Eggleston, Fire Rescue Chief, Albemarle County, Va.
• David Ellis, County Manager, Wake County, N.C.
• Latifah Faisal, Current Chair, Board of Supervisors, Story County, Iowa
• James Green, Director, Palm Beach County, Fla
• Steve Mokrohisky, County Administrator, Lane County, Ore.
• Danya Perry, Director - Office of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Wake County, N.C.
• Chris Rodgers, County Commissioner, Douglas County, Neb.
• Carl Rush, Chief Equity Officer, Loudoun County, Va.
• Siri Russell, Associate Dean for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Partnerships, University of Virginia    
• D'Artagnan Scorza, Executive Director, Racial Equity, Los Angeles County, Calif.
• Vivian Thomas, District 4 Commissioner, Henry County, Ga.
• Linda Thompson, Chief Diversity & Equity Officer, New Hanover County, N.C.
• Alissa Wignall, Director of Internal Operations and Human Resources, Story County, Iowa
• Kenneth Wilson, Administrator, Franklin County, Ohio
• Damika Withers, Chief Economic Equity and Inclusion Officer, Franklin County, Ohio