Naren Briar
American politician, activist (born 1998)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Naren Briar (born 1998) is an American politician serving as a member of the Bellevue City Council in Washington. She is the first Kurdish-American elected to public office in the United States.[1] Briar has a background in privacy, and policy, and an interest in human rights activism.[2]
Naren Briar | |
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| Member of the Bellevue City Council from Position 2 | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2026 | |
| Preceded by | Conrad Lee |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1998 (age 27–28) |
| Party | Nonpartisan |
| Education | Boston College (BA) |
| Occupation | Politician, product manager, activist |
| Website | briarforbellevue |
Early life and education
Naren Briar was born in 1998, in Dallas, Texas, to Iraqi Kurdish parents who were refugees and fled the regime of Saddam Hussein.[3] Her father's family survived the Halabja chemical attack in 1988.[3]
She attended Boston College,[3] where she received a bachelor of arts degree in 2020 in political science and government.
Career
From 2022 to 2024, she was a product manager at Meta in Seattle, focusing on the intersection of privacy, and policy.[3]
In 2025, Briar ran for Bellevue City Council, Position 2, on a progressive platform focused on affordable housing, public transit expansion, and AI ethics in local government.[4][5] In the general election held on November 4, 2025, she defeated long-time incumbent Conrad Lee, receiving 17,080 votes (53.7%).[6] Her term began on January 1, 2026.[7]