2012 Grand Marshal

MAYOR KASIM REED … Since taking office, Mayor Reed has continued his track record of strong leadership. He has implemented several successful initiatives, having hired more than 400 police officers, re-opened all of the city’s recreation centers as safe havens for young people and improved core city services such as fire-rescue response times and sanitation services. He has even increased the city’s reserve from $7.4 million to more than $94 million dollars. Not only are we grateful for his leadership of this city, we’re also delighted to have our beloved Mayor leading our parade later today as Grand Marshal.

Kasim Reed was inaugurated as the 59th Mayor of the City of Atlanta on January 4, 2010. Since taking office, Mayor Reed has hired more than 400 police officers, re-opened all of the city’s recreation centers as safe havens for young people and improved core city services such as fire-rescue response times and sanitation operations. He has increased the city’s reserves from $7.4 million to more than $94 million dollars. Working with the Atlanta City Council and the city’s employee unions, he successfully initiated a series of sweeping reforms to address the city’s pension liability.

Prior to his election, Mayor Reed established a track record of leadership during his 11 years as a member of the Georgia General Assembly. He was first elected in 1998 as a State Representative and served two terms. From 2002-2009, he served in the Georgia State Senate, where he was Vice Chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus and a member of the Judiciary Committee, Higher Education Committee, Ethics Committee, Transportation Committee, and State and Local Government Operations Committee.
Mayor Reed has demonstrated a remarkable commitment to civic engagement and leadership at every stage in his life. As an undergraduate member of Howard University’s Board of Trustees, he created a fundraising program titled the “Independence Initiative,” which helped higher education “stand up to adversity,” according to The New York Times. Since its inception, this initiative has contributed more than $10 million to Howard University’s endowment. Mayor Reed was appointed as Howard University’s youngest General Trustee in June 2002 and remains a member of the Board of Trustees.

Mayor Reed is Chairman of the Transportation and Communications Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and Chairman of the Regional Transit Committee of the Atlanta Regional Commission. He is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 1998 and Leadership Georgia Class of 2000 and was named to the Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship Class of 2007. Mayor Reed is also a former Board Member of both the National Black Arts Festival and Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund.

Mayor Reed’s civic leadership and service have been nationally recognized on programs such as Meet the Press, The Charlie Rose Show, John King U.S.A. and Andrea Mitchell Reports. He has been featured in publications including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, The Washington Post, Ebony and Black Enterprise. He was selected as one of Georgia Trend’s “40 under 40 Rising Stars” in 2001, as one of the Fulton County Daily Report’s “Lawyers on the Rise” and as one of “10 Outstanding Atlantans” by Outstanding Atlanta.

Mayor Reed grew up in the Cascade community of Atlanta, where he attended Utoy Springs Elementary School and Westwood High School (now Westlake High School). He is a graduate of Howard University, where he received his Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees. He received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from his alma mater in March 2011.

Mayor Reed is a former partner in the litigation practice of Holland and Knight LLP, an international law firm with offices in Atlanta, where he specialized in entertainment law. He is a member of the American Bar Association, the National Bar Association and the State Bar of Georgia.

Mayor Reed enjoys attending sports events and reading. Some favorite books include Master of the Senate by Robert Caro and The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass. He likes playing golf with his father, Junius Reed, and calls his mother, Sylvia Reed, his “best friend.” He also enjoys spending time with his three older brothers: Chuck, Carlton and Tracy.

Mayor Reed is a member of Cascade United Methodist Church.