Preceded by James B. Black Role Political leader Political party Democratic Spouse Jerry Meek | Occupation Educator, Politician Party Democratic Party Name Tricia Cotham | |
Born November 26, 1978 (age 45)
Charlotte, North Carolina ( 1978-11-26 ) Alma mater University of North Carolina at Charlotte (B.A.)
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (MPA) Residence Matthews, North Carolina, United States Education University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill | ||
Rep tricia cotham on 72 hours informed consent hb465
Patricia (Tricia) Ann Cotham (born 1978) is a former member of the North Carolina House of Representatives from the 100th district (Mecklenburg County) and congressional candidate. In March 2007, she was appointed by Governor Mike Easley, upon the recommendation of local Democratic Party leaders, to replace state Representative James B. Black, who had resigned.
Contents
At 28 years old, Cotham became the youngest member of the 2007-2008 session of the state legislature and the youngest woman to ever serve in the NC House of Representatives. In her second term, Cotham was appointed to Co-Chair the House's K-12 Education subcommittee. Cotham also served as Vice-Chair of the House Education Committee and as a member of the Education Committee of the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). She also represents North Carolina on the Southern Region Education Board, having been appointed by North Carolina Governor Bev Perdue.
Cotham served as a Trustee to the North Carolina Teacher Academy. In 2008, she was honored as UNC Chapel Hill's School of Education Young Alumna of the Year. The North Carolina Association of Educators (NCAE) also honored Cotham as an "A+" Legislator.
Cotham is the owner of a drop-in childcare center in Charlotte. Prior to serving in the legislature, Cotham was Assistant Principal of Instruction in the Charlotte Mecklenburg School System. Prior to this leadership role, she was a social studies and AVID teacher, teaching both middle and high school. In 2002, Cotham was honored as the Charlotte Mecklenburg Most Outstanding Teacher. In 2003, she was honored as “Teacher of the Year” in Mint Hill, NC.
Cotham chose not to run for re-election in 2016. She later said she would consider running for the U.S. House of Representatives in the newly redrawn 12th congressional district. Cotham filed to run for the seat on March 21, 2016, but lost the primary to incumbent Congresswoman Alma Adams.
Rep tricia cotham
Family
Cotham’s mother, Pat Cotham, is a former Democratic National Committee member and currently a member of the Mecklenburg County Board of Commissioners, having being elected in 2012. Cotham's cousin, Emily Cain, also a Democrat, was elected to the Maine House of Representatives in 2004 at age 24 as its youngest female member. Cain served as the Minority Leader for the Maine House Democrats.
Cotham is married to Jerry Meek, partner at Poyner Spruill, LLP, and former North Carolina Democratic Party chairman. Cotham and Meek have two sons. Cotham lives in Matthews, NC.