Laurie-Anne Sayles is a first-generation Jamaican American born and raised in Maryland. She is an experienced leader, change agent, policymaker, and advocate who believes that you can achieve any goal you set for yourself if you work smart. This motto has afforded her many opportunities to overcome challenging situations and use her life experiences to fuel a steadfast commitment to helping others who are underserved, underrepresented, and less fortunate. She has fought for expanded access to early childhood education, a $15 minimum wage, equal rights, immigration reform, and a cleaner, safer, and healthier environment, to name a few.
Elected in 2017, Laurie-Anne made history, becoming the first African American councilmember elected in Gaithersburg, and she has hit the ground running ever since.
In the National League of Cities, Laurie-Anne is the past chair of its Community and Economic Development (CED) Committee and serves on its Board of Directors. This leadership opportunity enabled the City of Gaithersburg to share best practices regarding “floating zoning” policies, locally funded toolkits supporting local businesses and entrepreneurs, and residential housing construction for low-income residents, including the elderly, with local leaders from across the country. She also serves on their Transportation and Infrastructure Services (TIS) Committee and two of its constituency groups; twice on the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials as Region 3 Director and as second vice chair of Women in Municipal Government (WIMG). She was also the 2020 WIMG Leadership Award winner.
Recognized for her substantial community involvement and advocacy for increased female representation in public service, Laurie-Anne was also awarded the 2018 Daily Record Top 100 Women in Maryland award.
Laurie-Anne currently leads the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments’ Chesapeake Bay and Water Resources Policy Committee as chair and serves on the Board of Directors of the Maryland Municipal Leagues’ (MML) Legislative Committee. In both of these roles, she tracks legislative developments at the federal and state levels for implications to local governments and recommends policies to include protecting the bay, policing, racial equity, affordable housing, and infrastructure investments.