Biography of Senator Raumesh Akbari

Raumesh Akbari was born on April 14, 1984. She is an attorney with a strong educational background, holding a B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis (2006) and a J.D. from St. Louis University School of Law (2009). As a devout Baptist, she has served in both the House and the Senate of the Tennessee General Assembly, representing parts of Shelby County.

Education

• B.A., Washington University in St. Louis, 2006
• J.D., St. Louis University School of Law, 2009

Career

• Attorney
• Senate member of the 111th through 113th General Assemblies
• House member of the 108th through 110th General Assemblies
• Chairwoman, Senate Democratic Caucus

Committees

• 2nd Vice-Chairperson, Education Committee
• 2nd Vice-Chairperson, Calendar Committee
• Member, Commerce and Labor Committee
• Member, Senate Ethics Committee

Community Involvement

• Member, Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated
• Member, The Links Incorporated
• State Legislative Leaders Foundation, Board Member
• National Civil Rights Museum, Board Member
• Chair, Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators 2017-2019
• Vice President, National Black Caucus of State Legislators
• Immediate Past National First Vice President, National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women
• Democratic Women of Shelby County
• NAACP
• Board Member, Emerge Tennessee
• Board Member, Downtown Memphis Commission

Honors & Awards

• German Marshall Fund- Marshall Memorial Fellow, 2019
• NewDeal Leader
• Legislator of the Year, The National Association of Social Workers, Tn Chapter (2019)
• Leadership Tennessee (2018)
• The Memphis Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” (2018)
• The Transatlantic Inclusion Leaders Network (2018)
• The Barack Obama Award, Shelby County Young Democrats (2018)
• Leadership Memphis (2017)
• Region IX Legislator of the Year, The National Black Caucus of State Legislators (2016)
• Woman of the Year, National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women (2016)
• Reformer Award, National Juvenile Justice Network (2016)
• Advocacy Award, Mothers of the Nile (2016)
• The American Council for Young Political Leaders (2015)
• The Henry Toll Fellowship (The Council for State Governments, 2015)
• Emerging Leader (The State Legislative Leader’s Foundation, 2015)
• The Memphis Flyer's "20 under 30" List (2014)
• The 2014 Spark Award, National Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women

External Links

• https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/legislatorinfo/member.aspx?district=S29

Public filings

Tennessee law requires candidates and officeholders to file campaign finance reports and a statement of interest. None of the state or county sites below supports direct links to an individual record — you'll need to search by last name on each.

Campaign finance

• State offices (Governor, US Senate, US Rep, TN Senate, TN House, State Executive Committee) — Tennessee Registry of Election Finance . Click Search for Candidates and PACs, enter last name “Akbari”, and submit.
• Shelby County and municipal offices (County Mayor, Commissioner, Sheriff, School Board, court clerks, municipal alderman, etc.) — Shelby County Public Campaign Finance Portal . Select the election year and search by candidate name (“Akbari”).

Statement of interest (conflict of interest)

• Required for state and local officials and candidates — Tennessee Ethics Commission Conflict of Interest Search . Enter last name “Akbari”and, if needed, select the applicable position from the dropdown.