Keisha Lance Bottoms

Keisha Lance Bottoms served as the 60th Mayor of Atlanta, where she steered the city through a pandemic, secured major investments in affordable housing, delivered a historic pay raise for Atlanta’s first responders, became a national leader on civil rights reforms, supported small business and economic opportunity, and balanced the budget. Keisha became the first Mayor in Atlanta’s history to have served in all three branches of government, having previously served as a Judge and a City Councilmember.

Keisha was born and raised in Georgia, and traces her family’s roots back five generations to a slave plantation near Crawfordville, Georgia. She was called to public service to build opportunities for working families like the ones she grew up in.

As Mayor, she committed herself to realizing her vision of “One Atlanta” – an affordable, resilient, and equitable Atlanta. Sworn in on January 2, 2018, Keisha served as Mayor during one of the most challenging times in the history of Atlanta. During one of the worst economic downturns the world has ever faced, the Bottoms Administration delivered four years of balanced budgets, without resorting to property tax increases, layoffs, or furloughs of City employees. At the conclusion of her term, Atlanta’s reserves remained at a near-high of $181M, far exceeding the requirements of the City Charter.

Following her term as Mayor, Bottoms served as Senior Advisor to the President, leading the transformation of the White House Office of Public Engagement. While serving in the White House, Keisha led engagement strategy on matters related to millions of diverse stakeholders across America.

Mayor Bottoms served as Chair of the Community Development and Housing Committee and the Census Task Force for the United States Conference of Mayors, and as a Trustee for the African American Mayors Association. She was also the recipient of the Distinguished Civil Rights Advocate Award presented by the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law in recognition of her equity-driven leadership to help guide and protect marginalized communities.

Keisha is the daughter of R&B icon Major Lance and Sylvia Robinson. She and her husband, Derek, live in Atlanta with their four children.