Meet Dr. Carnita Atwater

A Diverse Record of Leadership and Public Service

Educational Background:

• Bristol University, Bristol, Tennessee - PhD Degree – Major: Public Health Administration, 2003

• Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tennessee - PhD Degree – Major: Public Health Administration - 1996 

• Austin Peay State University, Clarksville, Tennessee

  Master of Science Degree in Public and Community Education/Gerontology, 1993

  Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Administration/Health Care Management, 1991

• Murray State University, Fort Campbell, Kentucky, Emergency Medical Technician, 1990

• Northwest Junior College, Senatobia, Mississippi, Registered Nurse – Bachelor (Transferred to Austin Peay State University), 1988

• Sea Isle Vocational Nursing School, Memphis, Tennessee, Associate in Nursing, 1979

• Healthcare Training Institute, Memphis, Tennessee, Certified Nurse Technician/LPN, 1977 - 1978

Professional Experience & Social Service:

• Surrogate Mother of 92 children – A woman with a heart for children. I supported and loved children from all races, nationalities, ethnicities, and disabilities. My greatest joy in life.

• Dean of Medical Studies – Chief academic officer, provider leadership for educational and clinical missions, while managing fiscal and human resources. Oversaw a $4.5 million budget. Performed accreditation for nursing, pharmacy, electrocardiogram, and medical billing departments. The youngest Dean in the State of Tennessee at 28 years of age.

• Medical Chairperson – Monitored all Medical students' administrative, academic, and financial aid files for accuracy and compliance with local, state, and federal regulations. Coordinated the Institutional Effectiveness Plan

• Academic Dean – As Senior Administrator, oversaw curriculum development and institutional leadership in higher education. Bridge the faculty's needs with the administration's goals. Managed academic programs, faculty hiring and tenure, budgeting, strategic planning, student affairs, and fundraising.

• Dean of Student Affairs – Championed student success, support services, and campus engagement.

• Adjunct Professor – Developed curricula. Taught and mentored students across multiple disciplines.

• Nursing Home Administrator – Managed long-term care facilities with a focus on quality and compliance.

• Hospital Administrator – Directed operations to ensure efficient, patient-centered healthcare delivery.

• Medical Director – Provided leadership in clinical oversight and healthcare strategy.

• EEOC Officer & Mental Health Liaison – Advocated for workplace equity while supporting mental health initiatives.

• Public Health & Governmental Administrator – Led programs addressing community health and public policy.

• Domestic Violence Counselor & Child Advocate – Supported survivors and protected the well-being of vulnerable children and women.

• Mental Health Liaison – Collated the connection between mental health services and other sectors (medical, school, or justice) to provide assessments, crisis intervention, counseling, and referrals for individuals in need.

• Program Consultant – Implemented and managed ILEAP (Independent Living, Empowerment and Advocacy Program). ILEAP is a community-based program that empowers people suffering from multiple sclerosis, military service-related injuries, mental illness, and dementia.

•  Program Director - Performed in-services to the owners, nurses, and staff regarding proper documentation, Power of Attorney, Medicare, Medicaid, OSHA, Title VI, Americans with Disabilities Act, JCAHO accreditations, and other regulatory matters.

• Personnel Manager - Managed fiscal budget over $15 million, all government and public contracts, and claims. Performed credentialing for all physicians, nurses, and medical staff. Monitored quality assurance and improvement, utilization review, prior authorization, and underwriting. Developed policy and procedures, operational manuals, employment manuals, OSHA, ANSI, and COBRA regulation manuals, patient database, triage manuals, and biohazard waste guidelines. Installed new HCFA-1500 programs for electronic billing.

• Governmental Compliance Officer - Ensured that the organization (or government agency) adhered to federal, state, and local laws, regulations, and internal policies. Managed risk, conducted audits, updated compliance standards, and trained staff to prevent legal breaches. Investigated potential violations and acted as the liaison between the organization and regulatory authorities.

• Primary Nurse - Provided, coordinated, and managed patient care. Acted as the primary link between patients and physicians. Promoted health, prevented disease, provided palliative care, direct patient assessments, administered treatments, operated medical equipment, and offered emotional support. Worked in diverse settings such as hospitals, clinics, schools, and home healthcare.

• College Instructor - Designed and delivered course curricula, assessed student performance through grading and feedback, conducted academic research and professional development according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and academic policies.

• Public Health Administration

• Budget Analysis

• Epidemiology

• Medical Terminology

• Advanced Medical Terminology

• Anatomy and Physiology, I and II

• Biology

• Chemistry

• Electrocardiogram I and II

• Medical Procedures I and II

• Medical Law and Ethics

• Patient Assessment I and II

• Clinical Procedures I, II, III

• Advanced Clinical Procedures

• First Aid and Safety

• Advanced First Aid and Safety

• Medical Billing

• Health Care Administration

• Advanced Medical Billing

• Pharmacology I and II,

• Nursing I and II

• Nursing Management

• Advanced Dosage and Calculations

  Community Associations & Memberships 

• Democratic Women of Shelby County - Member

• National Federation of Democratic Women - Donor

• League of Women Voters of the United States - Member & Donor

• National Advancement Association of Color People (NAACP) Lifetime Member – Silver, Gold, Bronze, Platinum

• Tennessee Immigrant & Refugee Rights Coalition (TIRRC) - Member

• National Action Network (NAN) - West Tennessee Chapter - Member

• Young, Gifted, and Green - Donor

• American Civil Liberties Union Foundation - Donor

• National Rural Health Association (NRHA) - Member

• National Association for Rural Mental Health (NARMH) - Member

• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - Donor

• National Domestic Workers Alliance - Donor

• The Poverty Alliance - Member

• Memphis Union Mission - Donor

• National Homelessness Law Center - Donor

• National Alliance to End Homelessness- Member

• National Health Care for the Homeless Council - Donor

• National Coalition for Homeless Veterans (NCHV)

• The National Low Income Housing Coalition- Member & Donor

• National Fatherhood Initiative, Inc. - Donor

• Moms of Black Boys United (MOBB United)-Donor

• Thrive Memphis -Donor

• Families Against Mandatory Minimums (FAMM)

• Whole Woman's Health Alliance (WWHA) - Donor

• U. S. Women's Health Alliance - Member

• Alliance for Women's Health and Prevention - Member

• Association for Women's Rights in Development (AWID) -

• Equality Now - Partner and Donor

• National Organization for Women (NOW)

• Liberty and Justice for All, Inc.- Donor

• Alzheimer's Association - Donor

• March of Dimes - Donor

• Sickle Cell Disease Foundation - Donor

• Lupus Foundation- Donor

• National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - Donor

• National Alliance on Mental Illness - Donor

• American Energy Alliance - Donor

• Southern Alliance for Clean Energy (SACE) - Partner and Donor

• The International Solar Alliance (ISA) - Member & Donor

• Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) -Donor

• Board Member of Mid-South Kwanzaa, Inc. - Member

• Board Member of the Phyllis Weakley Club

• Board of Memphis of the Coalition of Community Unions

• Board of Memphis of New Chicago Community Development Corporation

• Executive Director of New Chicago Community Partnership Revitalization CDC

• Member of the National Association of Women Business Owners (NAWBO) – Memphis Chapter

• Member of the National Association of Professional Women

• Member of the Small Business Association

• National Incarceration Association (NIA)

• Chairman of CELSO (Community Education Lottery Scholarship Outreach), 2010

• Member of Sierra Club – Tennessee Chapter

• Member of Operation PUSH Coalition

• Member of the Peace and Justice Center-Donor

• Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America - Volunteer and Donor

• Member of the Kiwanis Club

• Member of the Rotary Club

• Alpha Omega Veteran Association, Volunteer

• Latino Memphis - Mentor & Donor

• Mid-South Latino Chamber of Commerce MLCC – Bronze Member

• Member of Greater Memphis United Chinese Association

• Member of Asian American Association (AAA)

• Member of Japan-American Society of Tennessee, Inc.

• Member of the Chinese-American Association

• Member of TN-China Network (TNCN)

• Member of the Tennessee American Chinese Chamber of Commerce (TACC)

• Member of Chinese Historical Society of Memphis and the Mid-South

• Native American Indian Association of Tennessee

• National Black MBA Association (NBMBAA) – Memphis Chapter

• Black Business Association of Memphis (BBA)

• Filipino American Association of Tennessee, Inc. (F.A.A.T.)

• Filipino American Association – Memphis Chapter

• Ghanaian Association of Memphis - Member

• India Association of Memphis- Memphis

• Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) - Donor

• Honorary Supporter of Damascus Road Residency

• Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) – Freedom Fighter Membership

• Girls Incorporated (Girls, Inc.) Partner & Donor

• Girl Scouts of the Mid-South and Boy Scouts of America - Partner & Donor

• The Afro American Police Association Memphis Chapter – Donor

• Member of the Coalition Against Domestic Violence – National

• American Cancer Society – Partner & Donor

• Environmental Law Institute - Donor

• Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty - Donor

• St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Lifetime Donor

• LeBonheur Children's Hospital - Lifetime Donor

• Shriner's Hospital for Children - Lifetime Donor

• Humane Society of Memphis & Shelby County - Champion Donor

• Heifer International - Donor

• Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association, Inc. (BFAA) - Member

• The National Farmers Organization (NFO) - Member

• National Farmers Union (NFU) - Member

• Tennessee Agricultural Production Association - Member

• National Cattlemen's Beef Association - Member

• National Cutting Horse Association - Member

• The American Quarter Horse Association-Member

• American Dairy Goat Association (ADGA) -Member

• American Goat Society

• Alpaca Owners Association, Inc. - Member

• American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)

  Community Outreach - A gubernatorial candidate with a heart for Tennesseans.

• Saved over 50 family farms across the State of Tennessee.

• Over the past 10 years, I have rescued and transported approximately 100 domestic violence and human trafficking victims to private safe havens.

• Fed over 10,000 homeless individuals each year.

• Donated 5,000 book bags, school supplies, and uniforms each year.

• Donated 5,000 coats, gloves, hats, and blankets annually.

• Donated 300 bicycles to underserved children at Christmas time and throughout the summer.

• Created 150 jobs for youth, teenagers, gang members, and ex-felons.

• Implemented a special program for displaced veterans to assist with housing and sustainability.

• Created an emergency rescue program for the New Chicago community during the COVID pandemic.

• Created an Afri-Ballerina Program for underserved and marginalized children.

• Created a free Summer Nutrition Food Program for children and the elderly in North Memphis.

• Created a free educational tutoring service for ages 5 - 17 years of age.

• Created a free business & money management and housing education program for low-income parents.

• For the last 30 years, distributed food boxes, clothing, and toiletries across the State of Tennessee - Jackson, Clarksville, Erin, Dickson, Waverly, Ashland City, Paris, McKenzie, Brownsville, Mason, Somerville, Millington, Atoka, Brighton, Union City, Covington, John City, Milan, Medina, Woodlawn, Dover, etc.

• Saved over 50 small family farms across the State of Tennessee.

• For the last 10 years, I have been instrumental in saving over 50 senior citizens from losing their homes through tax lien sales. I paid their taxes to ensure that they aged in place in their homes.

• For the past 20 years, I have been instrumental in ensuring that senior citizens' utilities stay on by paying their bills in full. These recipients were in Memphis, Clarksville, Jackson, Millington, Mason, Brownsville, and Atoka.

• For the past 10 years, I have paid the funeral expenses of five children and five adults killed by gun violence to take the financial burden off the family. All funeral expenses were paid in full.

• In 2025, I advocated and protested against a new jail being placed in an underserved and disinvested community known as the New Chicago community.

• In 2025, I donated 400 boxes of clothing, toys, school supplies, and educational materials to an after-school program that serves low-income and underserved children in Clarksville, TN.

• In May of 2024, after storm damage destroyed Union City, TN, Obion County, I drove a U-Haul truck to comfort the citizens in that area. I distributed food, water, clothing, toys, and toiletries.

• In December of 2024, during the tornado devastation in Clarksville, TN, I drove a large U-Haul truck to distribute clothing, household items, baby supplies, blankets, toiletries, toys, coats, etc.

• During the Waverly, TN flood in 2021, I mobilized and distributed boxes of clothing, food, bottles of water, toiletries, blankets, and cleaning supplies.

A Proven Record of Serving Tennesseans as I Run for Governor Now!

Running for Governor is not about just winning an election; it should be about having your finger on the pulse of Tennesseans every day. I do not have to say what I am going to do when I win; I have a proven record of what I have already done for Tennesseans!

• Bold, unbossed and unbought, while running for Governor, I have fought against the closings of rural hospitals in the State of Tennessee.

• While running for Governor, I have fought against a new jail being placed in an underserved and marginalized neighborhood called the New Chicago community in Shelby County.

• While running for Governor, I have spoken against the rampant political corruption.

• While running for Governor, I have fought and protested against the school voucher scam.

• While running for Governor, I have fought against the misappropriation of HUD funding distributed to rich developers, which should have been allocated to low-income families.

• While running for Governor, I have fought against the majority of government funding going to rich developers and investors through tax incentives, PILOTs (payment-in-lieu-of-taxes), while working-class individuals are economically deprived.

• While running for Governor, I have fought against the inhumane treatment and deaths of incarcerated individuals in 201 Poplar and CoreCivic.

• While running for Governor, I have fought against ICE mistreatment and the separation of Latino immigrant families.

• While running for Governor, I have fought and protested against the new ICE detention center erected in Mason, TN.

• While running for Governor, I have fought and protested against the discriminatory and unfair terminations of teachers in Somerville, TN.

• While running for Governor, I have fought against the gas turbines used at Elon Musk's xAI Colossus Center in Memphis, Tennessee, which allegedly exposed an African American community known as the Boxtown Community to toxic air pollutants such as Nitrogen oxides (NOx), formaldehyde, and benzene, which are linked to cancer, respiratory illnesses like asthma, COPD, and cardiovascular disease.

• While running for Governor, I have fought against abusive tax lien sales of underserved and marginalized communities to rich developers and investors, thus forcing native residents out of their cohesive neighborhoods such as Nashville, Memphis, Knoxville, and Chattanooga.

• While running for Governor, I have fought against the neglect of rural communities, while urban districts have received the majority of economic development funding.

STATE, NATIONAL, AND PRESIDENTIAL AWARDS

• Memphis City Council Resolution, Women's History Month - Given by Yolanda Cooper-Sutton- March 2025

• State of Tennessee Certificate of Appreciation in Recognition of Outstanding Service in the Best Interests and Highest Traditions - Given by Governor Bill Lee - June 2020

• State of Tennessee- House of Representatives - Resolution No. 24, Given by Rep. Barbara Ward-Cooper - March 2019

• African National Humanitarian Award - Kenya's Kisumu County Governor Peter Anyang Nyong'o- 2019

• Outstanding Community Leader Service Award- Given by Pastor Ralph White, 2018

• Missionary Ceola Mosley Humanitarian Award- Given by Citizens for Better Service, 2016

• Veteran Administration Certificate of Community Engagement Award - February 2015

• Outstanding Service Award for Exemplary Voluntarism - Methodist Hospital North- 2015

• Shelby County Government Proclamation- Distinguished Leadership in Memphis and Shelby County, May 2014

• Legacy and Commitment Award - Girl Scouts of the Mid-South - 2014

• Shelby County Board of Commissioners - Certificate of Appreciation - Given by Henri E. Brooks, January 2009

• Recipient of the State of Tennessee Exemplary Citizen Award – Given by State Representative Henri Brooks - 2007

• Recipient of the State of Tennessee Proclamation of Excellence Community Leadership – State Representative Barbara Cooper – 2006

• Recipient of the Presidential Scholar Award – Given by President Bill Clinton- 1996

• Harriet Tubman Achievement and Leadership Award, Austin Peay State University, Given by Dr. William Stovall - 1993

• Recipient of the Civilian Humanitarian Award- Given by President Jimmy Carter, 1989

• Honorary Civilian Service Award - National Advancement of Color People) NAACP, 1988

• Civilian Award for Humanitarian Service -Fort Campbell, Kentucky - 101st Airborne Division, Department of the Army, 1988