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Council interviews Lori Garabe Aquino for chief of Children, Youth and Family Services
Summary
County Executive's nominee Lori Garabe Aquino described priorities including data infrastructure, interagency collaboration with MCPS, continuity of services and embedding racial equity; council members pressed for specifics on coordination with schools, outreach to hard-to-reach families and performance measurement.
The Montgomery County Council interviewed Lori Garabe Aquino on Tuesday as the county executive's nominee for Division Chief of Children, Youth and Family Services (CYF).
Introduced by Rich Maddalino on behalf of the executive, Aquino said she brings more than 15 years working in public health and child-focused programs, including seven years in the District of Columbia where she oversaw school-health systems and data-sharing initiatives. She described immediate priorities as strengthening interagency and community partnerships, protecting continuity of services amid budget uncertainty, and building a data-driven, outcomes-focused CYF.
"My immediate priorities would be first to strengthen interagency and community partnerships... and second to ensure continuity of services," Aquino said, adding that her long-term goals include improved data infrastructure and measurable outcomes for programs serving children and families.
Council members pressed Aquino on coordination with the school system, data-sharing protections, and how she would reach families who do not typically engage with government services. Aquino cited prior experience negotiating data-sharing agreements, building case-management protocols and embedding racial-equity reviews into RFPs and program design.
Council members Jessica Jawando, Abenoz (chair of the relevant committee), Katz, and others expressed support and sought commitments to measurable results. Aquino said there are no conflicts of interest to disclose and thanked staff and family for their support. The council concluded the interview and will proceed to next steps on the nomination.
