Former Refugee Announces Run For Montgomery County Council At-Large Seat

SILVER SPRING, MD — A former refugee and community activist announced Tuesday that he is running for the Montgomery County Council At-Large seat.

Hoan Dang, of the Wheaton neighborhood of Silver Spring, is a well-known community organizer and public servant in Montgomery County. He was only eight years old when his parents fled the horrors of the Vietnam War, according to a press release. After living in refugee camps for eight weeks, his family relocated to Montgomery County, which he has called home for the past 40 years.

“My life story is a testament to the American Dream and what can happen when hard work is combined with opportunity,” said Dang in a statement. “My family and I were Vietnamese refugees, and my parents worked multiple jobs to provide for our family. My sisters and I were the first in our family to go to college, thanks to the great education we received right here in Montgomery County. I’m a trained engineer and work as a program analyst. I analyze problems and find solutions for a living. I want to bring that same experience to the County Council in order to solve long standing issues I’ve witnessed firsthand over the past four decades since I came to this county.”

Dang ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in 2010 and was elected to the Montgomery County Democratic Central Committee from 2010-2014, representing District 19. He also served as Chair of the Maryland Democratic Party’s Asian American & Pacific Islander Leadership Council from 2014-2017.

Aditionally, Dang is a founding board member of the Asian American Political Alliance, which increases Asian American voter engagement.

Dang currently works as a Senior Program Analyst for a small federal contractor, specializing in procurement, budget management, and direct client support. His prior professional experience includes working as a Corporate Internal Auditor and Regulatory Compliance Analyst for Lockheed Martin, and as an Electronics Engineer for NOAA/National Weather Service.

To remain active in Montgomery County, Dang has served on more than 15 non-profit boards, commissions and community organizations, including as board member and President of the Association of Vietnamese Americans, which has helped resettle and provide direct services to over 25,000 refugees and immigrants.

He currently serves as a board member of the George B. Thomas, Sr. Learning Academy, which organizes Saturday school for over 2,500 students annually in Montgomery County. DAng holds a Bachelor of Engineering degree from Vanderbilt University, and graduated from the University of Maryland College Park with dual Masters Degrees in Business Administration and Operations Research.

“It’s clear that families in Montgomery County need the County Council to work on their behalf to solve long standing problems such as the lack of affordable housing, school overcrowding and traffic congestion while working to create opportunities for them and their children," Dang said. "I will work hard every day to find solutions to these problems and put the needs of people over politics. As a former refugee, community organizer, engineer and program analyst, I’ve faced my fair share of challenges. Now I’m ready to face them for you."

For more information please visit votedang.com.