Megan Barry facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Megan Barry
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Barry in 2024
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| 7th Mayor of Metropolitan Nashville | |
| In office September 25, 2015 – March 6, 2018 |
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| Preceded by | Karl Dean |
| Succeeded by | David Briley |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Megan Christine Mueller
September 22, 1963 Santa Ana, California, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Bruce Barry |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | Baker University (BA) Vanderbilt University (MBA) |
Megan Christine Barry (born September 22, 1963) is an American businesswoman and politician. She served as the seventh mayor of Nashville and Davidson County from 2015 until March 6, 2018. She resigned from her position due to issues related to her conduct while in office. Megan Barry is a member of the Democratic Party.
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Early Life and Education
Megan Barry was born on September 22, 1963, in Santa Ana, California. She grew up in Overland Park, Kansas. She attended the Notre Dame de Sion School in Kansas City, Missouri.
She earned a bachelor's degree in elementary education from Baker University in 1986. Later, she received an MBA from the Owen Graduate School of Management at Vanderbilt University in 1993.
Business Career
Before her political career, Megan Barry worked in the business world. She focused on business ethics and corporate responsibility. She worked for a large telecommunications company called Nortel Networks.
From 2003 to 2012, Barry was a vice president at Premier, Inc.. This company helps healthcare groups with purchasing. She also ran her own consulting business, Barry & Associates. Through this, she advised large companies on business ethics and social responsibility.
Political Journey
Serving on the Metropolitan Council
Megan Barry was first elected to the Metro Council in Nashville in September 2007. She won one of the five at-large seats. The Metro Council has 40 members. She was re-elected for a second four-year term in August 2011. In that election, she received the most votes among the five people who were already serving and sought re-election.
During her first term, Barry led the council's Budget and Finance Committee. She also chaired the Education Committee. In 2009, she helped pass a bill that protected city employees from discrimination. Later, in 2013–2014, she chaired the Rules Committee.
Running for Mayor in 2015
Barry began her campaign to become mayor in April 2013. She was a strong candidate in the election. She received the most votes in the first round. However, she did not win more than half of all votes. This led to a second election, called a runoff. She ran against David Fox, who finished second.
The runoff election was very competitive. Megan Barry raised US$1.1 million for her campaign. She received support from various business leaders and organizations.
On September 10, 2015, Megan Barry won the runoff election. She defeated David Fox to become the next mayor of Nashville.
Mayor of Nashville's Achievements
Megan Barry became mayor on September 25, 2015. She was the first woman to hold this important position in Nashville. Her inauguration ceremony was held at the Music City Center. The theme for her inauguration was "We Make Nashville."
As mayor, Barry focused on making Nashville's government more diverse. She created a Chief Diversity Officer role. This person would review policies related to hiring and promotions. She also started the Mayor's Office of Neighborhoods and Community Engagement. This office included the Office of New Americans, which helped immigrant and refugee communities.
In early 2017, she worked with Governor Bill Haslam. They helped pass the IMPROVE Act. This act aimed to increase funding for road projects across Tennessee. It also gave voters a chance to fund mass transit. Barry wanted to put a plan for a new public transportation system on the ballot in 2018. However, that plan was later rejected by voters.
Barry also worked to improve affordable housing in Nashville. She committed to putting $10 million into the Barnes Trust Fund for Affordable Housing each year. She helped create this fund when she was on the Metro Council. She also started a program to encourage mixed-income housing. She planned to use $25 million to preserve or build new affordable housing.
One of her key achievements was the Opportunity NOW program. This program aimed to reduce youth unemployment and violence. It created 10,000 paid job and internship opportunities for teenagers and young adults in Nashville. These opportunities were in private, public, and non-profit organizations.
In May 2017, Barry announced that an Ikea store would open in Nashville by 2020. However, this plan was later canceled.
In August 2017, Barry spoke out against a statement that she felt did not represent Nashville's inclusive values. She promoted the Nashville Unites Resolution instead.
In October 2017, Barry presented a $5.2 billion plan for Nashville's transportation. This plan included adding light rail service. The final plan, called "Let's Move Nashville", was later rejected by voters in May 2018.
In December 2017, Barry dedicated the first historical marker in Tennessee to honor an LGBT activist, Penny Campbell.
Resignation from Office
On March 6, 2018, Megan Barry resigned as mayor of Nashville. This decision followed weeks of news coverage and discussions about her future. Her resignation was related to issues concerning her actions while in office. After her resignation, David Briley, who was the vice mayor, became the new mayor.
2024 Congressional Campaign
In December 2023, Megan Barry announced she would run for a seat in the U.S. Congress. She ran in Tennessee's 7th congressional district against the current representative, Mark Green. In February 2024, Green initially said he would not run again but later changed his mind. In the general election, Green won with about 60% of the votes, and Barry received 38%.
Personal Life
Megan Barry is married to Bruce Barry. He is a professor at Vanderbilt University's Owen Graduate School of Management. They had one son, Max. Sadly, Max passed away in July 2017 at 22 years old. Megan Barry is Catholic.
Images for kids
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Barry in 2024
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Barry touring the Old Hickory Dam Power Plant with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in January 2016.
See also
In Spanish: Megan Barry para niños
