Freda Player

Current office and 2026 campaign

Freda Player has represented District 7 on the Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools Board of Education since 2019 and currently serves as the board's chair ⁴. She ran for Davidson County Clerk in the May 5, 2026 Democratic primary against Sharon Hurt and Pamela Murray, seeking to succeed retiring Clerk Brenda Wynn ¹. Hurt won the nomination with 19,440 votes (46.98%); Player finished second with 16,619 votes (40.16%); Murray finished third with 5,319 votes (12.85%) ⁵. Because no Republican qualified for the office, Hurt's primary win effectively decided the general election ². Player's campaign emphasized "good governance, smarter technology and protecting institutional knowledge" built by outgoing Clerk Brenda Wynn, and pledged reduced wait times, expanded satellite office hours and modernized online services ³.

Background and education

Player holds a B.A. in political science, magna cum laude, from Fisk University, and a Master's in Political Management (2003) from George Washington University ³⁴.

Career

Player's political career began with Al Gore's 2000 presidential campaign. She served as voter outreach coordinator and later political director for the Tennessee Democratic Party until 2008, then as state director of the Tennessee Change That Works campaign (2008-2010) and as political director for SEIU Local 205 (2010-2018), where she also served on the union's International Public Division Leadership Board ³. She later served as senior legislative adviser in Mayor David Briley's administration - described as "the second woman and first African-American" to hold that role - and as a transition official under Mayor John Cooper ³.

Office history

Player was elected to the Metro Nashville Board of Education's District 7 seat in 2019 ⁴. She has chaired the board's Budget and Finance Committee, overseeing a roughly $1.4 billion budget, served two years as vice chair, and now chairs the full board ³⁴.

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