Charlane Oliver
Charlane Oliver is a nonprofit executive and politician from Tennessee. A member of the Democratic Party, she has represented District 19 in the Tennessee Senate since 2023.
Life and career
Oliver is from Little Rock, Arkansas. She received a B.S. from Vanderbilt University in 2005 and an M.P.A. from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville in 2008. After graduating from college, Oliver worked for the state of Tennessee, Meharry Medical Center in Nashville, the Knoxville Urban League, the Williamson County Chamber of Commerce, and U.S. Representative Jim Cooper.In 2016, Oliver co-founded the Equity Alliance, an organization dedicated to educating black voters.
In 2020, she was a member of an advisory group for how the city of Nashville should spend CARES Act funds.
After State Senator Brenda Gilmore announced her retirement in April of 2022, Oliver defeated four other candidates in the open 19th district Democratic primary. She proceeded to win the general election against Republican Pime Hernandez.
Oliver serves on the following committees in the Tennessee Senate:
- Energy, Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee
- Government Operations Committee
- Joint Education, Health and General Welfare Committee
- Joint Commerce, Labor, Transportation and Agriculture