Representative Deni Taveras Contact information

Deni Taveras was born on December 13, 1972, in New York City. At the tender age of four, she faced the tragic loss of her mother, Filomena Garcia. She moved between family members in New York and the Dominican Republic before finally settling with her father, Bienvenido Taveras. However, tragedy struck again when she was eight years old, as her father was killed while driving his taxi cab. After this, she was placed under the care of her maternal grandmother in the neighborhood of Harlem.

Taveras is a highly educated individual. She attended Barnard College, where she earned a B.A. in chemistry in 1995. She then went on to the University of Utah, where she earned an M.S. in chemistry in 1998. Furthering her education, she attended the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, where she earned an M.P.A. degree in public affairs and urban regional planning in 2003.

After receiving a job offer from the Dominican American National Roundtable in Washington, D.C., Taveras moved to Maryland. However, she became unemployed when the Great Recession hit. At the same time, the condominium complex she lived in was going bankrupt, and Taveras assumed leadership of the condo association.

Taveras has a rich history of political involvement. After earning her master’s degree, she worked for the United States Environmental Protection Agency. Her concern for environmental issues prompted her to lead efforts to ban both fracking and styrofoam in her county. She became involved with Dominicans 2000, a group of Dominicans seeking to make community change through political action. From 2011 to 2013, Taveras worked as the chief of staff for state senator Victor R. Ramirez.

Taveras made her first run for public office in 2014 for the Prince George’s County Council in District 2, seeking to succeed councilmember Will Campos, who ran for the Maryland House of Delegates in District 47B. During her primary campaign, Taveras sought to win over Hispanic voters and received endorsements from Campos, County Executive Rushern Baker, and state delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk.

Currently, Deni Taveras is a member of the Maryland House of Delegates for District 47B in Prince George’s County, Maryland. She was previously a member of the Prince George’s County Council, representing District 2 from 2014 to 2022.