AMPLIFY NASHVILLE HONOREES

Zulfat Suara is a CPA, an at-large member of the Nashville Metro Council, and an advocate who has achieved historic milestones while ensuring marginalized Nashvillians have access to health care, education, and housing.

Zulfat’s commitment to public service began while she was living in rural Tennessee, where she worked to improve educational outcomes and access to health care for rural Tennesseans. While living there, she was also a full-time CPA and founded an accounting firm that has since worked with several rural county governments in West Tennessee. In 2012, Zulfat was the founding chair of the American Muslim Advisory Council with a vision for a Tennessee where all people are accepted, respected, and valued as members of our diverse society.

In 2019, Zulfat made history by becoming the first Nigerian-born woman elected to any office in the US and the first immigrant to be elected as an at-large member of the Metro Council. As a council member, Zulfat has advocated for fiscally responsible government practices, community-based budgeting, and improved access to quality education for the city’s youth.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Zulfat and her colleagues urged the health department to partner with houses of worship across the city for vaccination clinics, ensuring that those on the margins had access to vaccines in their own neighborhoods. She has also collaborated with the Nashville Hispanic Bar Association to provide funding for legal services to immigrants facing eviction.

As an inspiring leader who believes that lifting up the marginalized strengthens the whole city, Zulfat Suara is committed to the well-being of all Nashvillians, making her the Good Neighbor honoree at Amplify Nashville 2026.