Forty Under 40: Rep. Megan Godfrey

Megan Godfrey earned a degree in 2006 from the University of Arkansas in Spanish and Latin American studies. Within two months, she was in California working for the nonprofit Teach for America in an economically disadvantaged area of inner-city Los Angeles.

“I didn’t have a particular career in mind,” she said. “I wanted to be part of important and meaningful work … and be part of a greater purpose.”

Godfrey taught for two years on the West Coast. She also earned a master’s degree in elementary education from Loyola Marymount University. After that, Godfrey returned home to Springdale and has been a public educator in the region ever since. She has spent the past two years in Fayetteville, where she works part time to help coordinate and facilitate the school district’s English as a Second Language (ESL) program.

Godfrey, a Democrat from Springdale, defeated an incumbent lawmaker in November 2018 to win a seat in the Arkansas House of Representatives. She represents District 89, one of the most diverse districts in the state. Godfrey campaigned for the job because she thought being a legislator would complement the work she does as an educator.

As a freshman legislator, Godfrey sponsored a bipartisan bill to allow the state Board of Nursing to issue licenses to recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy created by President Barack Obama in 2012. Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed the bill into law.

“I am very values-oriented, and that is how I legislate, as well,” Godfrey said. “It’s important to me that as a legislator, I’m saying ‘yes’ to opportunities that will make life easier for working families.”

Married with two children, Godfrey is pursuing a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the UA.