About Me

My name is Deanna Berry, and about twenty years ago my husband and I decided Bartow County was where we wanted to build our life and raise our family.

Both of my children attended Bartow County Schools from elementary school through graduation at Cass High School, following different academic paths along the way. My daughter participated in the Bartow County College and Career Academy and dual enrollment opportunities, while my son pursued a more traditional track with Advanced Placement classes and athletics. Like many parents in this community, I spent years on the sidelines at ballgames, school events, banquets, fundraisers, and everything in between. Those experiences gave me a practical understanding of how our schools serve students with different interests, strengths, challenges, and goals.

My connection to Bartow County Schools also grew through the business community. When the Bartow County College and Career Academy was being developed, I served on the committee of local stakeholders who helped advise, advocate for, and support the launch of the Academy and its career pathways. Since then, I have stayed connected through career days, mock interviews, student leadership programs, STEM events, and other efforts that help students connect what they learn in the classroom to real opportunities after graduation.

Professionally, I serve as Chief Operating Officer of a real estate investment company focused primarily on outdoor advertising. In simple terms, my job involves managing budgets, reviewing contracts, solving problems, and making sure organizations run the way they’re supposed to. It is practical, detail-oriented work, and it is exactly the kind of mindset I believe public service requires.

My own path to that career wasn’t completely traditional. I attended the University of Georgia after high school before joining the United States Marine Corps, where I spent four years serving as an Arabic linguist. Later, while building my career and raising a family, I returned to school and earned my degree in Economics from Kennesaw State University. Those experiences taught me discipline, responsibility, and the importance of doing your homework before making decisions.

Service has also been an important part of my life outside of work. My faith and conservative values shape the way I see responsibility, family, stewardship, and community. To me, those values are not just things to say during campaign season. They are reflected in how we serve, how we treat people, and how seriously we take the trust placed in us.

Over the years, that has included serving as president of the Bartow Republican Women’s Club, where we worked to advance conservative values and support meaningful work in our community, including the important mission of Bartow Family Resources. I have also served with a number of local nonprofit boards and committees, including Etowah Valley Humane Society, United Way, Bartow Family Promise, Bartow Advocates for Children, Bartow Collaborative, NWGA Red Cross, and others focused on families, children, and community needs.

Most people know me through Cartersville UNCUT.  CU grew out of that same love for this community, and it has given me another way to stay connected to the people, events, and stories that make Bartow County feel like home. I’m often somewhere around town with a camera asking people to “say cheese.” If there’s a festival, ballgame, fundraiser, or community event happening, chances are I’ve wandered through it at some point.  My son insisted that I also mention the fact that I am the head coach of the Bartow Cubs, a recreational softball team made up of teenage boys who wanted to keep playing together after aging out of Little League.  

When I’m not working or chasing community events, I’m usually doing something slightly nerdy. I love theme parks, and my YouTube history is a strange mix of travel vloggers, alien conspiracies, and Knights Templar documentaries. I’m also a dog mom to four large rescue dogs, so our house is rarely quiet: Larry, Mary, Buddy, and Lady.

I’m running for the Bartow County School Board because schools should stay focused on their real mission: educating students and preparing them for the future.

That means supporting teachers, maintaining strong academic standards, respecting parents, being responsible with taxpayer dollars, and keeping the focus on students instead of politics.

I believe families matter. I believe taxpayers deserve respect. I believe decisions should be made carefully, locally, and with common sense. Most of all, I believe our schools are strongest when students come first.

School board service isn’t about headlines or drama. It’s about steady leadership, thoughtful decisions, and doing the work.

That’s the approach I would bring to the job.