In November 2019, Steven L. Reed made history by receiving more than 67 percent of the popular vote to become the first Black Mayor of Montgomery in the city’s 200 year history. His election was another turning point for Alabama’s Capital City, which is known globally as The Birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement.

As a native of Montgomery and product of its public schools, Mayor Reed is committed to realizing his vision of a more equitable, innovative 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’s school system for the first time in over 40 years. Amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the public and private sectors, Mayor Reed restructured city government to increase efficiency and effectiveness, increased municipal reserves to record levels and avoided employee furloughs and layoffs – all while maintaining a balanced budget and paying off millions of dollars in debt. As a result, bond agencies awarded Montgomery its best credit ratings since the Great Recession. In the aftermath of George Floyd’s murder, Mayor Reed steered the city through peaceful protests without any personal or property incidents, while also leading initial police reform conversations.

Mayor Reed has invested more in the Montgomery Police Department than any mayor in Montgomery history. Under Mayor Reed’s leadership, the City of Montgomery has embraced 21st Century Policing strategies and targets violence interruption through community collaboration. In doing so, the Montgomery Police Department has achieved a 70-plus percent clearance rate for incidents of violent crime while also seeing a 20 percent decrease in violent crime.

Mayor Reed continues to cultivate a climate where entrepreneurs can not only survive – but thrive. In 2022 alone, several corporations have invested more than $340 million dollars in Montgomery and announced over 3,000 jobs. Multiple research publications recently named Montgomery as one of the best places for Black entrepreneurs to start a business. The accolades stem from Mayor Reed’s success in more than tripling the number of Black businesses participating in municipal contracts. 

Mayor Reed is a lifelong public servant and leader who previously served as Montgomery County, Alabama’s first Black and youngest elected Probate Judge. During his tenure as Montgomery’s Chief Election Official, he implemented progressive solutions that ranged from ensuring election integrity and expanding mental health services to increasing voter access and being the first probate judge in the state to issue same-sex marriage licenses. For his work, Mayor Reed was selected as a member of the Department of Homeland Security’s Election Integrity Commission. 

Mayor Reed is a recipient of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Leadership Award for Governmental Service and is a member of the New Deal Leaders network, the Bloomberg Harvard City Leadership Initiative and the UNUM Fellows cohort. He was selected for the Aspen Institute Socrates Program, serves on the advisory board for the US Conference of Mayors and is the Second Vice President for the African American Mayors Association. He is also a member of the National League of Cities Public Safety Committee.

Mayor Reed graduated from Morehouse College cum laude and has a Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. He and his wife Tamika are the proud parents of three children.