Last week, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the names of the transition team that will help her settle into her new position as Mayor of Atlanta. Rappers Clifford “T.I.” Harris and Michael “Killer Mike” Render are among 38 people that will advise the city’s 60th mayor during her first 100 days in office and in future days of her term. Some the issues Mayor Bottoms has pledged to take on include affordable housing and education. Bottoms says she will implement a $1 billion fund; $500 million raised from the private sector matched with $500 million in public investment. The team will also aid Mayor Bottoms in appointing key staff members who will play integral roles in her administration. Though T.I. and Killer Mike are the only entertainers joining the team, they are not the only recognizable figures. The list includes CEOs and professionals working in Fortune 500 Companies, finances, medicine, education, non-profits, religious centers, among other industries. They represent the many spheres of influence that the city has to offer. Some of the names from the list include Beatriz Perez, Senior Vice President, Chief Public Affairs, Communications & Sustainability Officer, The Coca-Cola Company; Helen Smith Price, Vice President, Global Community Affairs, The Coca-Cola Company and President, The Coca-Cola Foundation; Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines; Reverend Raphael G. Warnock, Senior Pastor, Ebenezer Baptist Church; Raphel Bostic, President & CEO of Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta; Keith T. Parker, President & CEO, Goodwill of North Georgia; Carol Tomé, CFO & Executive Vice President, The Home Depot, Inc.; Ron Clark, founder of The Ron Clark Academy; Bill Rogers, Chairman & CEO, SunTrust Banks, Inc.; Milton J. Little, Jr. President & CEO, United Way of Greater Atlanta; David Abney, Chairman & CEO of UPS; Nancy Flake Johnson, President & CEO, Urban League of Greater Atlanta, Inc.; just to name a few. Acting as co-chairs of the team are Larry Gellerstedt, Chairman of the Board & CEO of Cousins Properties, and Vicki R. Palmer, former Executive Vice President, Finance and Administration of Coca-Cola Enterprises Inc. Many other celebrities have also publicly shown their support for Mayor Bottoms, including 2 Chainz, DC Young Fly, 21 Savage, Tyrese, 21 Savage, and R&B group Xscape. All expressed their support for Bottoms during her campaign.
