Erin Byrnes is an American politician and educator serving as a member of the

Michigan House of Representatives The Michigan House of Representatives is the lower house of the Michigan Legislature. There are 110 members, each of whom is elected from constituencies having approximately 77,000 to 91,000 residents, based on population figures from the 2020 ...

for the 15th district. Elected in November 2022, she assumed office on January 1, 2023.

Early life and education

Byrnes was born and raised in

Dearborn, Michigan Dearborn is a city in Wayne County, Michigan, Wayne County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring Metro Detroit, suburb of Detroit, Dearborn borders Detroit to the south and west, roughly west of downtown Detroit. In the 2020 United States ...

. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in women's and gender studies from the

University of Michigan–Dearborn The University of Michigan–Dearborn (UM-Dearborn) is a public university in Dearborn, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1959 with a gift from the Ford Motor Company, it was initially known as the Dearborn Center, operating as a remote branc ...

and a Master of Science in education from

Brooklyn College Brooklyn College is a public university in Brooklyn in New York City, United States. It is part of the City University of New York system and enrolls nearly 14,000 students on a campus in the Midwood and Flatbush sections of Brooklyn as of fall ...

Career

From 2008 to 2010, Byrnes worked as a special education teacher in the

New York City Department of Education The New York City Department of Education (NYCDOE) is the department of the government of New York City that manages the city's public school system. The City School District of the City of New York (more commonly known as New York City Publ ...

. From 2012 to 2016, she was the director of the America Reads program at the

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

. From 2016-2022, she worked as the lead for democratic engagement, managing non-partisan student voter education and programming at the University of Michigan. Byrnes served as a member of the Dearborn City Council from 2018 to 2022. She was first elected in November 2017 and after running for re-election in 2021, she earned the position of Council President Pro-Tem. She was elected to the

in November 2022. She was reelected in 2024.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Byrnes, Erin Living people Democratic Party members of the Michigan House of Representatives Women state legislators in Michigan Women city councillors in Michigan Politicians from Dearborn, Michigan University of Michigan–Dearborn alumni Brooklyn College alumni University of Michigan people 21st-century American women politicians Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century members of the Michigan Legislature