| Representative Deborah Berry was born and raised in Waterloo where she attended the public school system. She received a Bachelor of Science degree in Public Administration from Upper Iowa University in 1998, and is completing her thesis for a Master of Arts degree in Mass Communication from the University of Northern Iowa. Drawing on her former work as Site Coordinator of afterschool programs for at-risk youth, Representative Berry has introduced landmark legislation that would give all of Iowa’s children access to before- and afterschool programs in communities throughout Iowa.
Representative Berry began her official political career In January 2000 when she was elected to the Waterloo City Council for the Fourth Ward. As the only minority and only woman serving, she was a champion of justice. All too often, Representative Berry courageously stood alone defending against issues that negatively and disproportionately affected her constituency. One of her prime accomplishments as councilwoman was drawing attention to the inequities of Waterloo’s outdated 1986 Contract Compliance Program. For almost fifteen years, African Americans, other minorities and women contractors were unable to obtain city contracts on Waterloo’s street reconstruction projects because of the program’s lack of enforcement and no accountability. Representative Berry was instrumental in drawing attention to those barriers, which brought about changes such as an increase from five to ten percent of city contracts awarded to minorities.
After a hotly contested June 2002 primary race for Iowa’s House District 22, Representative Berry ultimately won through convention vote to become the Democratic nominee for the November election. She won the election, garnering more than 68% of the vote. During her first term in the Iowa House, Representative Berry’s standing committee assignments included Education, Human Resources, and Judiciary. As a second term legislator, she serves on Public Safety, Human Resources and Judiciary committees as well as on the Health and Human Services Appropriations committee. She is a proven leader and an outspoken advocate of education and the well-being of children, seniors and those underrepresented.
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Representative Berry has several legislative committee appointments, and serves on numerous area boards and community organizations. Just recently, she became a newly-appointed member of the New Iowans Interim Committee. In July 2005, Representative Berry participated in the National Conference of State Legislatures’ “Helping Working Families in Tight Budget Times” seminar. During this workshop, teams of legislators from across the country formed working groups to take steps toward addressing and eliminating poverty. (Early in her political career, Representative Berry was invited to serve on the initial Waterloo steering committee for the Northwest Area Foundation on Poverty for the State of Iowa). Representative Berry also serves on the State Disproportionate Minority Contact Committee and the Healthy Community Task Force. She is a board member of Quakerdale, of the Boys/Girls Club of America of Black Hawk County, and of the Family and Children’s Council. As an advocate for quality education for children, Representative Berry is a proud member of the Iowa Community Education Association, the Iowa Afterschool Alliance, and continues to lobby for afterschool programs and services for disadvantaged and at-risk youth. She is a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was formerly appointed by Governor Tom Vilsack to serve on the Commission on the Status of African Americans.
ACCOLADES
In 2005, Representative Berry was presented the Citizen of the Year Award by Afro American Community Broadcasting Inc. She was recipient of the 2003 National Trio Achievers Award. Also in 2003, she was nominated by Senator Tom Harkin of Iowa and participated in the African American Leadership Summit held in Washington D.C., attended by more than 1,000 African American leaders. In 2001, she received the NAACP President’s Award and the Sisters on Target of Des Moines Iowa Outstanding Leadership Award; in 2000 she received the Networking Together, Inc., State of Iowa Women of Achievement Award, and the Greater Waterloo Chapter of Black Social Workers Human/Community Services Award, to name a few.
Rep. Berry is a member of Antioch Baptist Church and is the mother of one son, Roshawn. |
