kids encyclopedia robot

Shawn Z. Tarrant facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Quick facts for kids
Shawn Z. Tarrant
Sztarrant.JPG
Member of the Maryland House of Delegates
from the 40th district
In office
January 10, 2007 – January 14, 2015
Preceded by Catherine Pugh
Succeeded by Antonio Hayes
Personal details
Born (1965-07-30) July 30, 1965 (age 59)
Freeport, New York, U.S.
Political party Democratic
Spouse Divorced
Children Kayla and Shawn, Jr.
Residences Baltimore, Maryland

Shawn Z. Tarrant is an American politician. He was born on July 30, 1965. He served in the Maryland House of Delegates. This is like a state-level government group. He represented the 40th district from 2007 to 2015.

While in the House of Delegates, he worked on important committees. These included the Health and Government Operations Committee. He also helped with the Insurance Subcommittee. He was also a secretary for the Legislative Black Caucus of Maryland.

Shawn Tarrant's Early Life and Education

Shawn Tarrant went to Norfolk State University. He graduated in 1989. He earned a degree in finance and marketing. This means he studied how money works and how to sell things.

After college, he worked for a company called Bristol-Myers Squibb. He worked there for 17 years. He became a director of state policy. In this job, he helped make sure people with Medicaid could get important medicines. Medicaid is a health insurance program.

He also helped cities and towns with HIV/AIDS testing. He worked on programs to teach people about this health issue.

College Groups and Community

Shawn Tarrant was part of groups from his college. He is a member of the NSU Prince Georges Alumni Association. He also joined a fraternity called Kappa Alpha Psi in 1985. Fraternities are social organizations for college students. He is a lifelong member of both his college's alumni group and the fraternity.

Shawn Tarrant's Work Before Politics

Before he became a politician, Shawn Tarrant was active in his community. From 1994 to 1999, he was president of the Ashburton Area Association. This group worked to make his neighborhood better.

He helped create many lasting programs. He was very proud of helping to change the zoning in Ashburton. Zoning rules decide what kind of buildings can be in an area. He helped make it an R-1 zone. This meant only single-family homes could be built there. He often talks about how to improve housing and zoning rules.

Helping Schools

Shawn Tarrant also cared a lot about public schools. He served six terms on the PTO board. PTO stands for Parent Teacher Organization. He was also the vice president of the PTO at his children's elementary school. This shows his dedication to education.

Shawn Tarrant in the Maryland House of Delegates

Shawn Tarrant started serving in the Maryland House of Delegates in 2007. He served for eight years. During his time, he helped pass more than 30 new laws.

One important law he helped pass increased taxes on cheap, sweet cigars. These cigars were often aimed at young people in cities. He also helped pass a law that protects student privacy. This law stopped university staff from asking students for their private usernames and passwords. This rule is now used by the University of Maryland Systems.

Shawn Tarrant's Community Involvement in Baltimore

Shawn Tarrant was a leader in his neighborhood, Ashburton. He was president and vice president of his neighborhood association for 12 years. He also served as vice president of the Mt. Washington Elementary School PTO for five years. He is also a deacon at Union Baptist Church in Baltimore.

The 2006 Election for the House of Delegates

Before Shawn Tarrant ran for office, there were some changes in his district. Two delegates, Howard "Pete" Rawlings and Tony Fulton, passed away while in office. Other politicians were chosen to finish their terms.

In 2006, many people wanted to run for the three open seats. Shawn Tarrant was one of them. He won one of the seats in the general election that November. He served for eight years but was not re-elected in the 2014 primary election.

kids search engine
Shawn Z. Tarrant Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.