About Marsha
Marsha Wedgeworth Blackburn loves life and she loves open doors. Ask her on any given day what she is doing and she will probably answer that she is working hard. She has never shied from hard work, realizing early on that it is an essential component for success.
Marsha is “an outstanding problem solver who is blessed with the vision to see the big picture plus the patience to monitor the details through to solution and completion”. These two attributes, vision and patience, have served her well as she has successfully combined the roles of wife, mother, businesswoman, community volunteer, legislator and now, author.
Marsha grew up in Laurel, Mississippi. She distinguished herself early as an honor student, outstanding leader and 4-H Club National Scholarship winner. At Mississippi State University, she was a student leader, involved in Chi Omega sorority, an honor student, included in the MSU Hall of Fame and in Who’s Who. In 2000, she returned to MSU as a distinguished lecturer for the Seal Series in the College of Business and in 2007 she was named a distinguished alumnus. In 2006, Chi Omega honored her with their Outstanding Alumnae Award during their national convention in Washington, DC.
During her student summers, she worked 80 hours per week selling books door to door for the Southwestern Company. She was one of their first female sales associates and one of their first female sales managers, assisting the company in establishing a division focused on women.
Marsha moved to the corporate world Director of Retail Fashion and Special Events for the Castner Knott Company. She founded a marketing consulting business and in true entrepreneurial fashion found time to be a regular guest on Talk of the Town, a daily talk show on CBS affiliate, WTVF in Nashville and write columns and articles for various periodicals and magazines.
As a recognized volunteer Marsha has served on an array of boards and committees of hospital and healthcare associations, organizations concerned with environmental and educational issues in Tennessee as well as organizations focusing on Tennessee’s historical and artistic heritage. She has been honored by the American Lung Association as their outstanding volunteer. The Domestic Violence Coalition has honored her with the Voice of the Victims award.
Marsha Blackburn is a member of the downtown Nashville Rotary Club. She has been Chairman of the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast and member of the Citizen’s Committee. Chairman of the Williamson county Republican Party and recipient of the Great American Patriot Award. Appointed to the Williamson County Election Commission and a platform Speaker for the 1993, 2005 National Republican Women’s conventions. She was a Prime-time Speaker for the 2008 Republican National Convention.
In 1995, Marsha Blackburn took the reins at the Tennessee Film, Entertainment and Music Commission, retooling the agency and working to increase the investment in the state’s entertainment and television infrastructure.
She was elected to the Tennessee State Senate in 1998, serving as the Republican Whip. During her state senate tenure, she led a state-wide grassroots campaign to defeat the a proposed state income tax and her high profile and frequent media interviews on radio and television and positive mentions in the national publicans helped her to become recognized as a national anti-tax and government reform advocate.
In 2002, Marsha was elected to the US House of Representatives, representing Tennessee’s 7th Congressional District. She became the first woman in the state to win a Congressional seat in her own right. In Congress, she serves on the Energy and Commerce Committee and is a member of the Republican Study Committee. She held a seat on the Select Committee on Environment and Global Warming.
Her legislative efforts have been honored by National Taxpayer’s Union, American Chamber of Commerce, American Conservative Union, National Federation of Independent Business, America’s Children’s Hospitals, Nashville Songwriters Association, Family Research Council, National Right to Life, American Shareholders Association, Americans for Tax Reform, Small Business Bureau and Entrepreneurship Council. The Academy presented her the Congressional Grammy in 2007.
In her first term, she was named a Rising Star by the Capitol Hill newspaper, Roll Call. She has become a frequent guest on prime time television news programs, radio shows and featured in major publications.
Marsha and her husband Chuck reside in Brentwood, Tennessee. They are the parents of 2 adult children and have 1 grandchild.