The HBCU Executive Leadership Institute (HBCU ELI) at Clark Atlanta University has tapped Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms as its first honorary fellow.
HBCU ELI aims to serve as an “incubator for recruiting and developing the next generation of leaders for over 100 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).”
More than half of the program’s roster is women (58%) women, making it the nation’s most diverse cohort of future HBCU leaders.
“For more than 150 years, HBCUs have not only played an important role in American higher education, but also in building stronger communities and world-class leaders in every sector of society,” said Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms. “As a proud graduate of Florida A&M University, I am excited to accept this honorary fellowship and support HBCU ELI’s efforts to ensure this legacy continues.”
Mayor Bottoms is a graduate of Florida A&M University and the only Mayor in Atlanta’s history to have served in all three branches of government. She has served as a judge, a City Councilmember, not to mention her current title as Mayor.
Mayor Bottoms also serves as Chair of the Community Development and Housing Committee and the Census Task Force for the United States Conference of Mayors.
“Mayor Bottoms is experienced, intelligent, and has a strong commitment to the next generation of women leaders,” said Dr. George T. French, Jr., president of Clark Atlanta University. “As an alumna of Florida A&M University, she continues to remind us that HBCUs can indeed create leaders who help solve society’s most pressing challenges, even in the face of crisis.”
Watch Mayor Bottoms’ recent interview with Karen Hunter below.
