Freda Player

Freda Player is a Democratic politician from Tennessee currently serving on the Metropolitan Nashville Board of Education, representing District 7 [1]. She assumed office in 2019 and her current term ends on September 1, 2028 [1]. In the 2024 election, she won re-election to the school board with 98.1% of the vote against write-in candidates [1]. Player is running for Davidson County Clerk in the Democratic primary scheduled for May 5, 2026 [1]. She is one of three Democrats in that primary, alongside Sharon Hurt and Pam Murray [1]. Because no Republican qualified for the general election, the winner of the Democratic primary effectively wins the office [9].

Player graduated magna cum laude from Fisk University with a degree in political science and earned a Master’s degree in Political Management from George Washington University in 2003 [4]. Her early career included work on the Al Gore 2000 Presidential campaign, followed by roles as Voter Outreach Coordinator and Political Director at the Tennessee Democratic Party until 2008 [4]. From 2010 to 2018, she served as the Political Director for SEIU Local 205 [4]. In April 2018, she joined Mayor David Briley’s administration as Senior Legislative Advisor, a role she continued under Mayor John Cooper [4]. She was the second woman and first African-American to hold that position [4].

As a member of the Metro Nashville Public Schools Board, Player served as the board's Chair [10]. Her campaign highlights her tenure as Budget and Finance Committee Chair, noting it was the longest such tenure in board history [3]. She oversaw the district's budget, which she describes as $1.4 billion, and an organization with over 11,000 employees [11]. Player also co-founded Emerge Tennessee, having trained over 200 women to run for office [3].

For her candidacy for County Clerk, Player has received endorsements from outgoing Clerk Brenda Wynn, former mayors Megan Barry, Karl Dean, and Bill Purcell, and several state legislators including Heidi Campbell and Charlane Oliver [1]. Her campaign website is fredaforclerk.com [3].

Sources

• [1] Freda Player - Ballotpedia
• [3] Freda for Clerk – Freda Player
• [4] About Freda – Freda for Schools
• [9] Davidson County Clerk race: Meet the candidates - Nashville Banner
• [10] County Clerk candidates: Freda Player, Sharon Hurt, Pam Murray - Nashville Banner
• [11] Freda Player, Candidate for Davidson County Clerk
• [12] Freda Player eyes Davidson County Clerk position - Nashville Banner