{"county":"shelby","description":"Members of the Memphis-Shelby County Schools (MSCS) Board of Education are elected from nine districts covering all of Shelby County. The board hires and evaluates the superintendent, adopts district policies, reviews and approves the school-district budget, and sets the district's goals. Board members are elected officials, not district employees; as of 2025 they are limited to two consecutive four-year terms. Regular business meetings are held on the last Tuesday of each month at the Frances E. Coe Administration Building, with a preceding work session.\n\n**Compensation:** members receive a per-meeting stipend set by county government; state law requires a minimum of $4/day ([T.C.A. \u00a7 49-2-202](https://law.justia.com/codes/tennessee/title-49/chapter-2/part-2/section-49-2-202/)).","district":"8","districtgroup":"county_school_board","id":109,"key":"county_school_board_division_8","lastchangeby":null,"name":"Amber Huett-Garcia","next_election":"2018-11-08","notes":"119","officegroup":"county_school_board","partisan":0,"party":"","qualities":"- Policy judgment on a large urban district \u2014 Memphis-Shelby County Schools serves roughly 110,000 students across more than 200 schools, with a budget over a billion dollars.\n- Budget literacy for both operating and capital budgets, in coordination with the County Commission (which appropriates) and the Tennessee Department of Education.\n- Ability to hire, evaluate, and when necessary replace the superintendent \u2014 historically the highest-stakes recurring decision the board makes.\n- Constituent relations with parents, teachers, principals, and community members across an economically and racially diverse district.\n- Willingness to complete the state-required seven hours of annual training through the Tennessee School Boards Association School Board Academy.","quantity":1,"source":null,"state":"TN","term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01","term_years":4,"terms":[{"current":1,"description":"","electiondate":"2022-08-06","name":"Amber Huett-Garcia","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\nAmber Huett-Garcia serves as the School Board representative for district 8. She began her career as a teacher at Ross Elementary. After teaching, she spent more than seven years at Teach for America, with responsibilities ranging from large-scale operations for a teacher training program, to corporate and foundation fundraising. From there, Huett-Garcia served in Shelby County\u2019s Office of Education as a policy advisor before working as a senior director of non-academic support strategy for one million K-12 students at the Tennessee Department of Education. She also concentrated on state health, policy, and budget roles, including managing more than $13 billion in K-12 funds for former Illinois Governor Pat Quinn.\n\nHuett-Garcia currently serves as the Director of Business Development at Lemonada Media, one of the fastest-growing podcast companies in the country, with 26 shows and growing. She\u2019s passionate about obesity care as an active volunteer and emeritus member of the National Board for the Obesity Action Coalition (OAC). She served nine years, including two years as chair, for over 75,000 members. She is a founding member of the Global Obesity Patient Alliance (GOPA), where she represents the United States. She is a 2018 recipient of Medtronic\u2019s Bakken Invitation, an award given to individuals who\u2019ve used their \u201cextra life\u201d to advocate.\n\nHuett-Garcia enjoys traveling, cooking, and exercising when she\u2019s not working or volunteering. She lives in East Memphis with her husband, Matt, and their daughter, Parker, an elementary student at Memphis-Shelby County Schools.\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\nNo statement of interest filing found as of 2026-04-25. Search the [Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/search.htm).\n","firstname":"Amber","lastname":"Huett-Garcia","token":"LN1FhCiBD7"},"term_end":"2026-09-01","term_start":"2022-09-01"},{"current":0,"description":"Elected in the May 5, 2026 Shelby County general election.","electiondate":"2026-05-05","name":"Tanya Frey","person":{"biography":"## Current office and 2026 campaign\n- Candidate in the Democratic primary for Memphis-Shelby County School Board District 8 on May 5, 2026. ([Chalkbeat](https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2026/04/14/voter-guide-memphis-shelby-county-schools-board-election-district-8/))\n\n- Runs under the name Tanya Frey for MSCS District 8. ([tanyafrey.com](https://www.tanyafrey.com/))\n- Campaign website: [tanyafrey.com](https://www.tanyafrey.com/)\n\n## Background and education\n- Holds a J.D. degree. ([tanyafrey.com](https://www.tanyafrey.com/))\n\n- Has called District 8 home for two decades. ([tanyafrey.com](https://www.tanyafrey.com/))\n\n## Career\n- Has spent over 20 years as an employment and nonprofit lawyer. ([Chalkbeat](https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2026/04/14/voter-guide-memphis-shelby-county-schools-board-election-district-8/))\n- Worked for 21 years as a Memphis-based lawyer, including time at Autozone and ALSAC (the fundraising and awareness organization for St. Jude\u2019s Children\u2019s Research Hospital). ([Chalkbeat](https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2026/04/14/voter-guide-memphis-shelby-county-schools-board-election-district-8/))\n- Runs Terra Firma Consulting, which advises nonprofits on leadership decisions and helps boards hold members accountable. ([Chalkbeat](https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2026/04/14/voter-guide-memphis-shelby-county-schools-board-election-district-8/))\n\n## Business interests and wealth source\n- **2026** \u2014 [School Board (SS-8005)](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/view_form_8005.htm?name=FREY&id=103874&f=200875&v=1) \u2014 filed as a Shelby County official/candidate\n\n*Source: [Tennessee Ethics Commission Statement of Interest Search](https://conflict.app.tn.gov/conflict/search.htm). Scraped 2026-04-25.*\n\n## Family\n- Has three sons who attended Richland Elementary, East High, Middle College High School, and Houston High. ([Chalkbeat](https://www.chalkbeat.org/tennessee/2026/04/14/voter-guide-memphis-shelby-county-schools-board-election-district-8/))\n","firstname":"Tanya","lastname":"Frey","token":"gSuQJWg59i"},"term_end":"2030-09-01","term_start":"2026-09-01"}],"title":"County School Board Division 8","type":"legislative","url":null,"whenchanged":"2026-04-25 19:49:19"}