Myron Lowery was the Mayor Pro Tem of Memphis

Memphis, Tennessee

Memphis is a city in the southwestern corner of the U.S. state of Tennessee, and the county seat of Shelby County. The city is located on the 4th Chickasaw Bluff, south of the confluence of the Wolf and Mississippi rivers....

, Tennessee

Tennessee

Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...

, from July 31, 2009 to October 26, 2009. He is a former television news anchor for WMC-TV

WMC-TV

WMC-TV is the NBC affiliate television station for the Memphis, Tennessee metropolitan area. The station serves roughly the western third of Tennessee, northwestern Mississippi, northeastern Arkansas and the southeastern corner of Missouri over the air on satellite and on various cable systems. Its...

 5 in Memphis. Mayor Pro Tem Lowery has served on the Memphis City Council since 1991. He became interim mayor on July 31, 2009, following the retirement of Mayor W. W. Herenton

W. W. Herenton

Willie Wilbert Herenton is an American politician who was formerly mayor of Memphis, Tennessee, and was candidate for election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2010, until his defeat in the Democratic primary against incumbent Steve Cohen. He was the first African American to be elected...

. He ran for Mayor of Memphis in a special election held on October 15, 2009, losing to A C Wharton

A C Wharton

A C Wharton, Jr. is a Tennessee Democratic politician who is the mayor of Memphis, Tennessee. Previously, he served as mayor of Shelby County, the first African-American to serve in that office.-Early life, education, and early career :...

.

Mr. Lowery's tenure as Mayor Pro Tem was marked by attempts to remove officials from Herenton's controversial prior administration and efforts at transparency in government.

In the past, Mayor Lowery has served as a board member of the Tennessee Municipal League

Tennessee Municipal League

The Tennessee Municipal League is an association of the incorporated cities and towns of Tennessee, organized for mutual assistance and improvement.The organization's functions include:...

, Tennessee Quality, Goals for Memphis, Leadership Memphis, Goodwill Boys Club, The Memphis Zoo, the Headstart Policy Council, and the Board of Trustees of LeMoyne-Owen College

LeMoyne-Owen College

-External links:*...

.

In the national arena, he is a member of the Board of Directors for National League of Cities

National League of Cities

The National League of Cities is an American advocacy organization representing 19,000 cities, towns, and villages, and encompassing 49 state municipal leagues....

. He has served as Vice-President of the National Association of Black Journalists

National Association of Black Journalists

The National Association of Black Journalists is an organization of African American journalists, students, and media professionals. Founded in 1975 in Washington, D.C...

 and as Secretary, Treasurer, Vice- Chairman and Chairman of the Democratic Municipal Officials. In 1996, he was a speaker at the Democratic National Convention

Democratic National Convention

The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...

. Lowery is currently serving his fourth term as a member of the Democratic National Committee

Democratic National Committee

The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...

 and is a member of the National Black Caucus of Local Elected Officials. He was also the former treasurer of the United Negro College Fund

United Negro College Fund

The United Negro College Fund is an American philanthropic organization that fundraises college tuition money for black students and general scholarship funds for 39 private historically black colleges and universities. The UNCF was incorporated on April 25, 1944 by Frederick D. Patterson , Mary...

's National Alumni Council.

Lowery has a Bachelor of Science in Sociology from LeMoyne-Owen College, a Master of Science in Education from New York University

New York University

New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...

 and a Master of Science in Urban Education from the University of Tennessee

University of Tennessee

The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...

. He also holds an honorary degree from Southeastern College of Technology.

In September 2009, Mayor Lowery greeted visiting Tibetan Buddhist leader, the Dalai Lama

14th Dalai Lama

The 14th Dalai Lama is the 14th and current Dalai Lama. Dalai Lamas are the most influential figures in the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, although the 14th has consolidated control over the other lineages in recent years...

, with a fist bump, which garnered brief national news coverage. Mr. Lowery reportedly pre-arranged the greeting with the leader's handlers.