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Towanna Murphy
2024 - Present
2028
1
Towanna Murphy is a member of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools school board in Tennessee, representing District 7. She assumed office on September 1, 2024. Her current term ends on September 1, 2028.
Murphy ran for election to the Memphis-Shelby County Schools school board to represent District 7 in Tennessee. She won in the general election on August 1, 2024.
Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Towanna Murphy was born in Chicago, Illinois. Murphy earned a high school diploma from North Division High School and an associate degree from Bryant & Stratton College in 1996. Her career experience includes working as an educator. She has been affiliated with Project Let's Read and Freedom From Unnecessary Negativity.[1]
Elections
2024
See also: Memphis-Shelby County Schools, Tennessee, elections (2024)
General election
General election for Memphis-Shelby County Schools school board, District 7
Towanna Murphy defeated Danielle Huggins, Jason Sharif, incumbent Frank Johnson, and Chavez Donelson in the general election for Memphis-Shelby County Schools school board, District 7 on August 1, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Towanna Murphy (Nonpartisan)  | 34.0 | 1,295 |
 | Danielle Huggins (Nonpartisan) | 26.7 | 1,017 | |
| Jason Sharif (Nonpartisan) | 24.6 | 937 | ||
| Frank Johnson (Nonpartisan) | 9.0 | 343 | ||
| Chavez Donelson (Nonpartisan) | 5.6 | 215 | ||
| Total votes: 3,807 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Murphy in this election.
2023
See also: City elections in Memphis, Tennessee (2023)
General runoff election
General runoff election for Memphis City Council District 3
Pearl Walker defeated James Kirkwood in the general runoff election for Memphis City Council District 3 on November 16, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Pearl Walker (Nonpartisan) | 50.5 | 781 | |
| James Kirkwood (Nonpartisan) | 49.5 | 767 | ||
| Total votes: 1,548 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
General election
General election for Memphis City Council District 3
Pearl Walker and James Kirkwood advanced to a runoff. They defeated Towanna Murphy, Ricky Dixon, and Kawanias McNeary in the general election for Memphis City Council District 3 on October 5, 2023.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | Pearl Walker (Nonpartisan) | 27.9 | 2,646 | |
| ✔ | James Kirkwood (Nonpartisan) | 24.3 | 2,309 | |
| Towanna Murphy (Nonpartisan) | 22.5 | 2,135 | |
 | Ricky Dixon (Nonpartisan) | 20.1 | 1,911 | |
| Kawanias McNeary (Nonpartisan) | 5.2 | 489 | ||
| Total votes: 9,490 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Marvell Mitchell Jr. (Nonpartisan)
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Murphy in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Towanna Murphy completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Murphy's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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Since being in Memphis, Ms. Murphy has founded #Project Let Read, the “Free The First” Movement and became the founder/CEO of WDEM Radio 98.5FM. Towanna Murphy is Stellar Award Nominated, a Stone Award Honoree and a Mtenzi Award Recipient. She is also a member of the National Head Start Association. From 2019-2020 she served as Policy Council President, overseeing a 24 million dollar budget, for Porter Leath and Shelby County Schools.
However, teaching children is Towanna's passion. It has been her 18 year journey with navigating the MSCS system that has fueled her passion to help all children, like hers, with special needs. She is now ready to take action for all of the children of the Shelby County School District - 7. Towanna will focus on 1) School Safety, 2) Special Education and Exceptional Learners, 3) Student Preparedness and 4) Service Partnerships.- Mental Health focusing on the emotional needs of our children.
- Education Providing the proper learning materials for each children to learn and grow successfully. Implementing after schools tutoring classes to get our children back on track with reading and writing.
- School Safety A child can't learn in a hostile environment. I want our children to be safe. Having Safety in our schools will provide a Great learning experience.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
2023
Towanna Murphy did not complete Ballotpedia's 2023 Candidate Connection survey.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on May 4, 2024
