Adrienne Abramson Mandel (born September 30, 1936) was a representative of the 19th District, Montgomery County Maryland, for the

Maryland House of Delegates The Maryland House of Delegates is the lower house of the legislature of the State of Maryland. It consists of 141 delegates elected from 47 districts. The House of Delegates Chamber is in the Maryland State House on State Circle in Annapolis, ...

for over ten years.

Early life and education

Adrienne Mandel was born in

Irvington, New Jersey Irvington is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, New Jersey, United States. Per the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 61,176. The township had the ninth-highest property tax rate ...

. She attended Hillside High School in

Hillside, New Jersey Hillside is a township in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2010 United States census, the township's population was 21,404, reflecting a decline of 343 (−1.6%) from the 21,747 counted in the 2000 Census, which had in ...

and was involved in the organization

B'nai B'rith Girls BBYO (formerly ''B'nai B'rith Youth Organization Inc.'') is a Jewish teen movement, organized as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and headquartered in Washington, D.C. The organization is intended to build the identity of Jewish teens and offer ...

, a youth arm of the

B'nai B'rith B'nai B'rith International (, from he, בְּנֵי בְּרִית, translit=b'né brit, lit=Children of the Covenant) is a Jewish service organization. B'nai B'rith states that it is committed to the security and continuity of the Jewish peopl ...

Jewish service organization. She attended

Rutgers University Rutgers University (; RU), officially Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, is a Public university, public land-grant research university consisting of four campuses in New Jersey. Chartered in 1766, Rutgers was originally called Queen's ...

, earning a Bachelors of Arts in political science in 1958. She later attended

George Washington University , mottoeng = "God is Our Trust" , established = , type = Private federally chartered research university , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.8 billion (2022) , preside ...

and graduated in 1984 with a Masters of Arts in legislative policy. In 2003, Mandel graduated from the Executive Program of the

John F. Kennedy School of Government The Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), officially the John F. Kennedy School of Government, is the school of public policy and government of Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The school offers master's degrees in public policy, public ...

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

. In 1958, she married Emanuel (Manny) Mandel. They had two children together.

Career

Mandel moved with her family to

Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...

in the 1960s. She worked part-time while taking care of her two children. During this time, she also volunteered with the

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV or the League) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan political organization in the United States. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include registering voters, providing voter information, and advocating for vot ...

. Mandel moved to

Silver Spring, Maryland Silver Spring is a census-designated place (CDP) in southeastern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States, near Washington, D.C. Although officially unincorporated, in practice it is an edge city, with a population of 81,015 at the 2020 censu ...

in 1972 and began working at federally-funded civil service departments in Montgomery County, including a job at the Holiday Park Senior Center, working with the recreation center programs for senior citizens, and a position in the Office of State Affairs in Montgomery County. Mandel then worked as a lobbyist for the Office of State Affairs. She worked in this position from 1984 to 1994, conducting department research and supporting the State Delegates of

Annapolis, MD Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...

. In 1994, Mandel ran for and was elected as one of the delegates in the Maryland House of Delegates. She represented the 19th District, Montgomery County, MD from January 11, 1995, until January 10, 2007. During her time as a delegate, she worked to extend the state requirements to earn a driver's license in Maryland and helped write legislation to employ more nurses at hospitals and increase Maryland's healthcare benefits. She was also a part of several committees during her career as a Maryland Democratic delegate, including member of the Joint Committee on Children, Youth, and Families and the chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Delivery and Financing. Mandel was also appointed as president of the Women's Caucus, focusing her work on women's issues and community advocacy.

References

Women state legislators in Maryland Rutgers University alumni George Washington University alumni 1936 births Living people Jewish American state legislators in Maryland Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Hillside High School (New Jersey) alumni People from Hillside, New Jersey People from Irvington, New Jersey {{Maryland-politician-stub