From Dranesville Elementary to Herndon High, Meron Yohannes is a first-generation Eritrean American running for Town Council. Appointed to the Planning Commission six years ago, and currently Vice Chair, she championed denser development around the Herndon Metro station, grew small business ownership, and pushed to breathe new life into underutilized buildings across Herndon. 

Meron has spent a decade in policy development, research, and strategic planning — including overseeing billions in federal economic development and equity investments as a politically appointed Senior Policy Advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce under the Biden-Harris administration. 

Before joining the federal government, she was a Policy Analyst at the Bipartisan Policy Center (BPC) in Washington, D.C., where she developed recommendations for Members of Congress on affordable housing, water infrastructure, evidence-based policymaking, and the future of the AI-driven workforce.

Meron's connection to Herndon runs deep; she has only left her hometown to pursue her education, earning a Bachelor's in Political Science (2016) and a Master's in Public Administration (2018) from Virginia Commonwealth University. As a graduate ​research assistant, she worked on root causes of poverty, social work burnout, and ​the dynamics between the police and communities.

She is more than ready to graduate from being an appointed advisor and leverage her unique experience as an elected decision maker.