School Board Commissioner, Memphis-Shelby County Schools, District 8
I’ve done better than my parents, and they did better than theirs. Like many District 8 and MSCS families, that’s what we want for our kids, too. I’m serving to contribute to a system that gives my daughter a better education and life. I credit my success to education. I was born in middle America to parents who were the hardest working people you could ever meet but earned a combined high school diploma. My grandfather never learned to read. I know my opportunities came from resilience, hard work, and an enthusiasm for learning. As a first-generation college graduate who also earned a master's degree, I'm a lifelong advocate for high-quality education.
I've been a classroom teacher in Memphis-Shelby County Schools, served in the Shelby County Mayor’s Office of Education, and was a senior director with the Tennessee Department of Education. I've worked in education at every level in Tennessee: operations, fundraising, budget, and policy. Most importantly, I am a mom to an elementary student in an MSCS school. I want all children to have an excellent education that leads to a life where students can attend college or begin a career and thrive.
The Role of a School Board Member
School Board Members establish the vision and goals for the public schools in their district, and they set standards for the performance of schools and superintendents.
MSCS school board members are elected by people in their community to represent their values, views, and desires for the public schools in their district.
In MSCS, each district represents over 10,000 students of our more than 109,000 K-12 students.
Read more from the National School Board Association here.
How to Support Amber
You can email Amber at HuettGarciaA@scsk12.org with any questions or for her availability for 1:1 meetings, tabling, or speaking at your event.