Two Black elected officials from Broward County have been appointed to serve on leadership committees for the National League of Cities (NLC) for the 2022 term.

City of Lauderhill Commissioner Denise D. Grant was named to the NLC’s Human Development (HD) Federal Advocacy Committee.

City of Miramar Vice Mayor Yvette Colbourne was appointed to the league’s Finance, Administration and Intergovernmental Relations (FAIR) Federal Advocacy Committee.

NLC President Mayor Vince Williams of Union City, Ga. announced the appointments in January.

Grant and Colbourne will each serve a one-year term and offer strategic direction and guidance for the federal advocacy agenda and policy priorities for the committees. Grant will play a key role among a diverse group of local leaders in shaping NLC’s policy positions and advocating on behalf of America’s municipalities before Congress, with the administration and at home, Williams said.

“NLC’s federal advocacy committees are a key tool for gathering insights directly from the communities that our members serve,” Williams said.

The HD Committee is responsible for developing policy positions and leading NLC’s advocacy on issues involving social services, children and learning, poverty and income support, employment and workforce development, equal opportunity, education, Social Security and seniors, individuals with disabilities, public health care, mental health parity, and immigration reform.

Most recently, the committee’s work has focused on workforce investment strategies to support local economies, including career and technical education and investments in training, advocating for comprehensive immigration reform including a legislative solution for Dreamers, and working to ensure that federal resources to combat the opioid epidemic make it to the local level.

TO HELP REBOUND 

Grant has a bachelor’s degree in organizational leadership and international relations from Trinity International University. Her committee will consist of Chair Kacy Kostiuk, Takoma Park, Md. councilmember; Vice Chair Denise D. Adams, mayor pro tempore, Winston-Salem, NC; and Vice Chair Adriana Rocha Garcia, , San Antonio, TX. councilmember.

Grant was first elected to the Lauderhill Commission in 2018. Her term ends in November. She recently championed the Rebound Lauderhill Business program during a business breakfast and resource fair to help businesses that were hit hard by COVID-19. Hundreds of businesses in Lauderhill have secured financial assistance through her initiative and other programs, she said.

“Finding community, state, and national partners to assist Lauderhill businesses has been a priority for me from day one," Grant said. "During this pandemic it has been especially important to galvanize outside organizations and entities with extensive resources to help our community rebound."

HEART OF CITY

Colbourne, who was first elected to the Miramar Commission in 2013 and elected vice mayor in 2021, said she’s thrilled over the opportunity to address issues impacting cities across the U.S.

“I am really excited to be given this opportunity,” she said. "The issues and policy work of FAIR, from census, capital finance, civil rights and labor relations encompass the heart of any city.

These salient and principal issues impact every city, family, and the nation as a whole and I am humbled to have been chosen as vice chair as well as I feel extremely privileged to be able to collaborate with my colleagues across the nation in order to help formulate policies that will help all cities in the principal day-to-day operations.”

Her committee will consist of Chair Matt Orlando, Councilmember, Chandler, Ariz.; Vice Chair Yvette Colbourne, Vice Mayor, Miramar; and Vice Chair Brandon Jones, Deputy Mayor Pro-Tem, Lewisville, Texas.

Colbourne, who has lived in Miramar for the past 26 years, earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in business administration from Nova Southeastern University. She is a graduate of the “Good Government Initiative” from the University of Miami’s Leaders of Excellence Program for Elected Officials.

FORCINA FIELD Colbourne has championed the city’s neighborhood improvement program and recently cut the ribbon for the upgrades at Forcina Field, 8001 Miramar Pkwy., which included a new soccer field and basketball courts, bathroom facilities and refurbished parking.

Colbourne, who is married and has two children, served 30 years as a Miami Dade County administrator, was president of her homeowner’s association, vice chair of the Miramar Economic Development Board, member of the Civil Service Advisory Board, and member of the Broward County Diversity Committee.