Jim Stricklan

Mayor, City of Memphis

Jim Strickland was sworn in as mayor of Memphis on Jan. 1, 2016, pledging to work toward making ours a safer and stronger city, to lead a transparent and trustworthy government, and to have an administration that applies, in his words, “new eyes to solve old problems.”

After an eight-year tenure as a member of the Memphis City Council, Mayor Strickland was elected to the city’s top office on Oct. 8, 2015. Mayor Strickland served as vice chairman of the council in 2013 and as its chairman in 2014. In eight years representing District 5 on the City Council, then-councilman Strickland became known for fighting for government transparency and public safety.

Mayor Strickland is a 1982 graduate of Christian Brothers High School, a 1986 graduate of the University of Memphis and a 1989 graduate of the Cecil C. Humphreys School of Law at the U of M. He practiced law at Glankler Brown PLLC from 1990 to 1998, when he began practicing at Kustoff & Strickland PLLC, where he remained until becoming mayor.

Community service has long been a part of Mayor Strickland’s life. He has volunteered with various organizations, such as the St. Vincent de Paul Soup Kitchen, and has served on many different community boards, including chairing the Memphis Botanic Garden board of directors. He is a gold life member of the NAACP.

Mayor Strickland and his wife, Melyne, have two children.