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A resolution honoring Senator Brenda Gilmore’s retirement from the Tennessee State Legislature.
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WHEREAS, Brenda Gilmore was born in Sumner County, Tennessee on December 9, 1952; and
WHEREAS, Brenda Gilmore graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Tennessee State University in 1984, and a Master’s degree in Human Resource Development from Vanderbilt University in 1988. She is a graduate of the Tennessee Government Executive Institute, Leadership Vanderbilt, Leadership Nashville, and the Empowerment Congress Leadership Institute; and
WHEREAS, from 1999 to 2007, Brenda Gilmore was a respected member of the Metropolitan Council and served as chair of the Health, Hospitals, and Social Services Committee; Planning, Zoning, and Historical Committee; Parks, Library, and Recreation Committee; Tourism and Commerce Committee; and was the first African American woman to serve as Budget and Finance Committee Chair; and
WHEREAS, Brenda Gilmore was first elected to the Tennessee House of Representatives in 2006 and later elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 2018. She served as chair of the Davidson County Legislative Delegation and the Tennessee Black Caucus of State Legislators; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gilmore has earned various awards and recognitions such as the Senior Citizens, Inc.'s Harriet Foley Volunteer Award; YMCA Volunteer of the Year Award; Thurgood Marshall Community Award; the Metro Human Relations Commission's Advocacy Award; the C.A.B.L.E. Spirit of Leadership Award; the Public Service Award presented by Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Tennessee Masons, and the Tennessee State University Alumni Association; Pentecostal Tabernacle's Citizens Award; and the Excellent Public Services award presented by the Tennessee Economic Council on Women; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gilmore has been inducted into the YWCA Academy for Women of Achievement and nominated for both the Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer of the Year Award and the Athena Award; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gilmore has been involved in countless programs, organizations, boards, and committees serving as president, vice president, director, board member, chair, and trustee throughout the years, with her greatest pride in serving as chair of the Northwest YMCA board of directors and raising $4 million for the construction of an indoor pool, and
WHEREAS, Senator Gilmore has worked tirelessly to empower and uplift the community in which she serves. She is a lifetime member of the NAACP Tennessee Chapter and Nashville Chapter where she has served as an executive board member for 30 years. She is an advisory board member of FiftyForward Bordeaux and the Urban League of Middle Tennessee, and serves as a dedicated member of the National Council of Negro Women, Tennessee State University Women’s Center, the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation Program, Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc., National Hook-Up of Black Women, Inc, Music City Links, Inc, Red Hat Society, Nashville Chapter, Charms, Inc., and her beloved sorority Delta Sigma Theta, Inc.; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gilmore has had the love and support of her husband Harry Gilmore, a retired Metro Government Court Officer; her daughter, Erica Gilmore, who serves as Davidson County Trustee; and granddaughter Anyah Gilmore-Jones; and
WHEREAS, Senator Gilmore has earned the utmost respect among her colleagues and constituents throughout her distinguished career; and
WHEREAS, she embodies the highest standards of leadership as a public servant; and
WHEREAS, her contributions as an intelligent, kind, and generous person are unparalleled and will be greatly missed in the state legislature; and
WHEREAS, it is fitting and proper that the Metropolitan Council recognizes Senator Brenda Gilmore’s many years of hard work and dedication and wish her well in her retirement.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE METROPOLITAN GOVERNMENT OF NASHVILLE AND DAVIDSON COUNTY:
Section 1. That the Metropolitan Council hereby goes on record as thanking Senator Brenda Gilmore for her dedicated public service and honoring her retirement from the Tennessee State Legislature.
Section 2. That this Resolution shall take effect from and after its adoption, the welfare of The Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County requiring it.