About Beverly Barrett
Beverly Barrett is a policy specialist and educator focused on international economics.
Beverly is passionate about education and economics, which are strengths to serve the Harris County Department of Education. This campaign focuses on quality learning, accountable government, and investment in education that support growth in the economy and vibrant communities.
She has served as faculty at the University of Houston, teaching global business and public policy, and at the University of St. Thomas, teaching international economics. Additionally, she has taught at the Texas A&M Bush School of Government and Public Service and remotely with Florida International University (FIU/Miami) and Wake Forest University.
After graduating from the Kinkaid School in Houston, she studied Human & Organizational Development at Vanderbilt University and at Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in Bologna, Italy and Washington, DC. Dr. Barrett earned her doctorate, Ph.D., in a fellowship in International Studies at the University of Miami in Florida. She speaks Spanish, Italian and French.
Also, she has participated in public service in her work at the White House, Office of Cabinet Affairs, in the administration of President George W. Bush. Her professional experience includes periods of service with the State Department (in Helsinki, Finland and Kingston, Jamaica) and the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, Houston Branch. She has been Visiting Faculty in International Business with Universidad de las Americás Puebla (UDLAP) in Mexico. These experiences have given her global perspective and deep knowledge to inform public service in her hometown city of Houston.
Platform
Cost Effective and Impactful
Ensuring that the HCDE is cost effective and impactful means that students will be best served across our county.
Quality Learning Programs
Quality learning programs are provided by federal grants such as Head Start, started in 1965 as part of the War on Poverty, and similar programs to supplement academic learning. In 1995 early head start was introduced to support student learning.
Accessible to the Community
The availability of local educational programs across the 25 school districts means that students have opportunities for academic enrichment in order to excel in school.
Boost Education Value
The affordability of these programs for the community ensures their continuity and ensures supplemental learning by students and all 25 Independent School Districts) ISDs in Harris County.
Invest in Education,
Research and Innovation
From early childhood, Kindergarten – Grade 12 (K-12) to higher education, our future depends on our investment today in education, research and innovation. From primary to secondary to tertiary/higher education the U.S. benefits from quality teaching and investment in research. Both the private sector and public sector have roles to support education, research, and innovation. This will lead to innovation which supports economic growth and opportunities for employment and competitiveness. The City of
Houston and Harris County are home to world-class universities that benefit from the support across all sectors, private and public, to ensure prosperity for graduates and our communities in the future.
As the energy capital of the world, Houston has a unique position to lead on ensuring continued abundance and prosperity that is sustainable across energy sources. I support responsible technology and artificial intelligence policies to ensure accountability, ethics, competition and security. This will provide quality assurance for student literacy, while supporting digital literacy. This will ensure that Houston and Harris County’s students are among the best and that our city remains at the forefront of the world economy.
Beverly’s Commitment to Education
in Harris County and Texas
Personally knowledgeable of Harris County, Beverly is a sixth generation Houston. She has been faculty with the University of Houston, in the heart of the city, for more than a decade. She has worked with the Federal Reserve Bank, Houston Branch in financial literacy, public affairs and community relations. Coordinating financial literacy initiatives, such as Bank on Houston and Money Week Houston, provided the opportunity to get to know the neighborhoods, local leadership, and the community development corporations.
Beverly was the founding program director of Literacy Texas, the largest statewide association that supports adult literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL). As program director, she and the board members convened an annual statewide conference in Austin for member literacy providers including higher education institutions, faith-based organizations, non-profits and civic programs like the HCDE. In designing the marketing plan, with the board of Literacy Texas, together they established the four pillars – Advocacy, Networking, Resources and Training – still active today.
The diversity of Harris County reflects the breadth and strengths of our city of Houston and our State of Texas.