Prince George’s County Council Member Derrick Leon Davis (D) – District 6, was elected 2020 Chair by the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) during its January 8th meeting. The COG board also elected Arlington County Board Member Christian Dorsey, and District of Columbia Council Member Robert C. White to serve as Vice-Chairs in 2020.
COG Chair Davis, who joined the board in 2016, had served as COG Board Vice-Chair since 2017. With a focus on regional transportation and housing concerns, he has served as a member of COG’s Metro Strategy Group, working to forge consensus on dedicated funding for Metro, and led the Housing Strategy Group, developing COG’s regional housing targets in 2019.
COG Chair Davis looks forward to continued service in this new regional leadership post.
“Serving as COG Board Chair is a signal honor, providing an important opportunity to continue the significant progress we have achieved to advance our region. I look forward to leading with my colleagues, Vice-Chair Dorsey and Vice-Chair White, and COG board members to address regional interests and concerns.”
Under the new leadership team, COG will build on recent regional collaboration related to housing and transportation and focus on optimizing land use around high capacity transit stations, defined as Metrorail, commuter rail, light rail, streetcar, bus rapid transit, and multimodal stations. The board will also continue its focus on advancing racial equity regionally and in local government programs and policies.
Council Chair Davis noted the important work ahead to build on the region’s transit goals.
“To create more transit-oriented communities that are accessible to all residents, we need to take our forward-looking planning and placemaking to the next level,” Davis said. “Our region is a national leader in transit use and walkable communities, but we know there’s still plenty of untapped potential to better connect our jobs and housing to transit and grow our economy.”
COG is an independent, nonprofit association of 24 local governments supported by financial contributions from its member governments, Federal and State grants and contracts, and donations from foundations and the private sector. COG connects leaders across borders to help shape strong communities in Metropolitan Washington.
The Board of Directors is COG’s governing body and is responsible for its overall policies, functions, and funds. Board members are appointed each year by the participating local governments and by caucuses of state legislative delegations from the region.
For more information contact:
Angela J. Rouson
301.952.7484
CouncilMedia@co.pg.md.us