Experience, Competence, Compassion
I’m Liz Nagy, and I’ve been the Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for SMD 07 since January 2025. I currently serve as the Commission’s Vice Chair, and I’m running for re-election.
I ran the first time on a simple idea: An ANC commissioner represents about 2,000 neighbors, which is a small enough number that you can actually ask people what they think before you vote. The job of an ANC commissioner is to represent the views of his or her constituents. That’s the framework and the promise of the Home Rule Act which created the position. It’s been two years since the first campaign, and I still believe it.
My Background
I grew up in New York City, where I learned to appreciate the character of a neighborhood and the people who make it. I hold a bachelor’s degree from Vassar College and a J.D. from Albany Law School of Union University.
My mother was a psychologist and vocational rehabilitation counselor for clients with severe psychiatric and substance abuse issues. Taking a cue from her, I started in community service before I finished college, volunteering as a paralegal at Mid-Hudson Valley Legal Services, helping local residents get legal representation and access to social services.
After law school I spent almost 36 years in federal service, first as an attorney with the Department of the Navy in the Naval Sea Systems Command, working on the nuclear submarine program, and later with the Justice Department at the Federal Bureau of Prisons. My work there centered on three things:
- Contracts and environmental law. Leading a team of lawyers working on land acquisition and construction, dealing with federal, state, and local officials, and seeing multimillion dollar projects from beginning through to completion. A good deal of that job was making sure public money was spent effectively and that the government and its contractors each kept to their side of the bargain.
- Health policy. Creating and implementing primary care policies, clinical practice guidelines, and conducting training to improve healthcare access and outcomes for federal inmates.
- Disability rights. Years of work ensuring compliance with disabilities laws for inmates and federal employees so they get the equitable treatment to which they are entitled.
All of this turns out to be useful preparation for the work of an ANC Commissioner. Understanding the procurement process, spotting procedural problems, knowing which agency actually owns a decision and how to get things done, and staying patient with a bureaucracy long enough to get an answer are all things I did during my career.
Home in Chevy Chase
I worked in Washington during law school summer breaks. I came to Washington after law school and shared an apartment on Connecticut Avenue with a law school classmate. It was not far from where I live now. When my husband and I married, we spent a short and happy stint in Northern Virginia, but we missed the District and this neighborhood. After a long search for something we could afford, we moved back into the District with our son and settled into our house in Chevy Chase. We have been here for more than 28 years. (The household is currently under the management of two tabby cats who have agreed to share it with us in exchange for food and chin scratches.)
Before I retired and before the ANC, I tutored students at River Terrace school in Anacostia, served as president of my college’s local alumni chapter, which helped raise over $1 million in financial aid for students who needed it, came to ANC meetings for years as a resident, and volunteered on the ANC 3/4G Transportation Committee.
How I Work
My approach has not changed since the first campaign: I begin by listening. That means surveys, conversations, and knocking on doors, so that everyone has a say and not just the handful who are loudest. As I have done, I will continue to carry your views forward even when they differ from my own. A campaign should be a conversation, and too often it is not. Commissioners hold no authority that does not come from the people in their district. So keep telling me what matters to you, what is and is not working, and where you think I have gotten it wrong. If you reported a problem on your street to DC and nothing has happened, I want to know about it. I would much rather hear from you sooner than read about your frustration later.
Say Hello
Over the past two years I have met many of you in person, and I would like to keep that up: Coffee, a walk down your block, or a phone call or Zoom if getting together in person is not practical.
You might also find me:
- Working in my garden many mornings
- At an ANC meeting, or at the Civic Core on a clean up detail
- Dropping off blankets and towels at the local animal shelter
- Saying hello at a neighborhood block party
Please do stop me and tell me what is on your mind. You can also reach me at enagy.smd07@gmail.com or through the contact section of this website.
Or share your thoughts through the contact section of this website.
