T.I. And Killer Mike Named To Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms’ Mayoral Transition Team

Atlanta mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the members of her diverse mayoral transition team that included the likes of legendary rappers, Clifford “T.I.” Joseph Harris Jr., and Michael “Killer Mike” Render. Newly elected Mayor Bottoms was inaugurated as the 60th mayor of Atlanta on January 2, 2018. Bottoms is a former judge, Atlanta City Council member, and graduate of Florida A&M and Georgia State University College of Law.

Bottoms won the Atlanta mayoral election in a highly contested run-off election in December 2017. Bottoms got 759 votes that provided a narrow margin of victory for her.

The Co-Chairs of Mayor Bottoms transition team are Larry Gellerstedt and Vicki R. Palmer. Gellerstedt is the CEO of Cousin Properties. Palmer is the former executive vice president of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc.

The announced 38-member mayoral transition team includes prominent business persons, education professionals, clergy, activist, and entertainers. At the press conference, Bottoms stated, “I really want them to come up with fresh ideas and recommendations for best practices.” Of the transition team, Bottoms also stated,”this is a transition team that will at some point divide into subcommittees and there will be an opportunity and likely additions from people across the business community in our various communities to help fill out some of the subcommittees that will give us guidance as it relates to the filling of positions and vacancies and also as it relates to creating policy and our agenda for the next 100 days.”

The inclusion of T.I. and Killer Mike is another illustration of the consistent political activism both gentlemen regularly engage in on both the national and local levels. T.I. and Killer Mike each has appeared on CNN to discuss political issues in recent times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=47&v=u6BcX8k4QLo

Killer Mike has been honored by the state of Georgia Legislature and spoken at the Atlanta City Hall. T.I. has penned open letters to President Donald Trump, former U.S. President Barack Obama, and to “Us.” The “Us” in this instance referencing oppressed individuals, peoples, and communities.

Bottoms also used the occasion to announce Marva Lewis as her chief of staff. Lewis previously held the position of head of human resources at Cousins Properties.

Bottoms campaigned championing an initiative to create a $1 billion fund for affordable housing. Social justice and criminal justice system reform are also stated areas of policy focus for Mayor Bottoms.

Bottoms is an associate of successful Atlanta businesswoman and fellow Georgia State University alumni, Reunekia Willams.

Reverend Raphael G. Warnock, Senior Pastor at Ebenezer Baptist Church and Raphael Bostic, President & CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta are also amongst the 38 members of the mayoral transition team. Bottoms spoke of the hopes for the intended impact for her mayoral transition team stating, “The team will help put a framework around certain initiatives.”

Bottoms stated the transition team will immediately begin working “to make sure we attract the best talent in the city and we are forward thinking and not just worried about the issues we are facing today but build a team that can project out for many years in the city.”

The first two weeks of Mayor Bottoms tenure as Mayor of Atlanta has included a visit from U.S. President Donald Trump to the city of Atlanta, as well as being the host city for the 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship game.

The Full Mayor Bottoms Transition Team:

• David Abney, Chairman & CEO, UPS
• John Ahmann, Executive Director, Westside Future Fund
• Byron Amos, Atlanta Public Schools Board Member, District 2
• Claire Lewis “Yum” Arnold, CEO, Leapfrog Services
• Ed Bastian, CEO, Delta
• Randy Beall, Business Manager, Atlanta and North Georgia Building and Construction Trades
• Raphael Bostic, President & CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
• Matt Bronfman, CEO, Jamestown
• Cassius F. Butts, Former Obama Appointee and CEO, Capital Fortitude Business Advisors
• Senator Jason Carter, Partner, Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP
• Ron Clark, Founder, The Ron Clark Academy
• Shan Cooper, Chief Transformation Officer, WestRock
• David Cummings, CEO, Atlanta Ventures
• Mawuli Mel Davis, Attorney & Co-Founder, The Davis Bozeman Law Firm
• Rene Diaz, President & CEO, The Diaz Group
• Christopher R. Edwards, MD, Fellowship Trained Spine Surgeon, Atlanta Neuro Spine Institute, LLC
• David H. Eidson, President & CEO, Coxe Curry & Associates
• Sloane Evans, Vice President, Human Resources, Georgia Power Company
• Marty Flanagan, President & CEO, Invesco Ltd.
• Clifford “TI” Harris, Grammy Award Winning Rapper, Actor, Entrepreneur & Activist
• Virginia Hepner, Former Corporate Executive & Arts Leader
• Douglas J. Hertz, Chairman & CEO, United Distributors, Inc.
• Nancy Flake Johnson, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Atlanta, Inc.
• Noel Khalil, Chairman & CEO, Columbia Ventures LLC
• Allegra Lawrence-Hardy, Founding Partner, Lawrence & Bundy LLC
• Kenny Leon, Tony Award Winning Director & Founder, True Colors Theatre Company
• Milton J. Little, Jr. President & CEO, United Way of Greater Atlanta
• Amol Naik, Director of Special Projects, MailChimp
• Keith T. Parker, President & CEO, Goodwill of North Georgia
• Beatriz Perez, Senior Vice President, Chief Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability Officer, The Coca-Cola Company
• Cecil Phillips, Chairman & CEO, Place Properties
• Helen Smith Price, Vice President, Global Community Affairs, The Coca-Cola Company and President, The Coca-Cola Foundation
• Michael “Killer Mike” Render, Artist, Activist, & Businessman
• A.J. Robinson, President, Central Atlanta Progress, Inc./Atlanta Downtown Improvement District
• Bill Rogers, Chairman & CEO, SunTrust Banks, Inc.
• Dr. Catherine Ross, Professor of City Planning and Civil Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Carol Tomé, CFO & Executive Vice President, The Home Depot, Inc.
• Reverend Raphael G. Warnock, Senior Pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church