In November 2019, Steven L. Reed made history as the first African-American to be sworn in as Mayor of Montgomery, Alabama, a city known globally as The Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement.

A native of Montgomery, Mayor Reed is committed to realizing his vision of a more equitable, progressive, and compassionate city. To that end, he is advancing an agenda that puts Montgomery on track to become a leader in the New South.

In his first year in office, Mayor Reed successfully led a transformational ballot initiative to increase investment in Montgomery Public Schools for the first time in over 30 years. Amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and its sweeping effects on public and private sector budgets, Mayor Reed restructured the city government to increase efficiency and effectiveness while the City maintained a balanced budget, increased reserves and avoided employee furloughs and layoffs. As a result, bond rating agencies awarded Montgomery its best grades since the Great Recession. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder Mayor Reed is proud to have steered the city through peaceful protests without any personal or property incidents, while also leading initial police reform efforts.

As a lifelong public servant and leader, Mayor Reed previously served as Montgomery County, Alabama’s first African-American and youngest elected Probate Judge. During his tenure, Mayor Reed expanded mental health services to Montgomery’s most vulnerable residents and stood defiant against Alabama’s Roy Moore as the first probate judge in the state to grant same-sex marriage licenses following the U. S. Supreme Court ruling.

Mayor Reed received the Dr. Martin Luther King Leadership Award for Governmental Service and was chosen as a New Deal Leader. He was selected for the Aspen Institute Socrates Program, Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative, and E Pluribus Unum’s (EPU) inaugural class of UNUM Fellows. Mayor Reed earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, cum laude, from Morehouse College and a Master of Business Administration degree from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. He and his wife Tamika are the proud parents of three children.