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A daughter of Atlanta and the city's 60th mayor, Keisha Lance Bottoms is committed to realizing her vision of One Atlanta – an affordable, resilient and equitable Atlanta – which stands as a model city for both commerce and compassion.

A lifelong public servant, Mayor Bottoms is the only Mayor in Atlanta’s history to have served in all three branches of government, serving as a judge and City Councilmember before being sworn in as Mayor.

Leading with a progressive agenda focused on equity and affordable housing, Mayor Bottoms serves as Chair of the Community Development and Housing Committee for the United States Conference of Mayors.

Among Mayor Bottoms’ notable accomplishments to date include the establishment of the City’s first fully-staffed Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, the appointments of a LGBTQ Affairs Coordinator and a Human Trafficking Fellow, the citywide elimination of cash bail bond, the closure of the Atlanta City Detention Center to ICE detainees, and the rollout of the most far-reaching financial transparency platform in the City’s history – Atlanta’s Open Checkbook.

Under Mayor Bottoms’ leadership, the City of Atlanta led the historically successful staging of Super Bowl LIII, which included unprecedented community benefits – a $2.4 million renovation of John F. Kennedy Park on Atlanta’s Westside, more than 20,000 trees planted throughout the community and the seamless coordination of 40 federal, state and local public safety agencies.

A product of Atlanta Public Schools, Mayor Bottoms graduated from Frederick Douglass High School and received her undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University. She earned her Juris Doctorate from Georgia State University College of Law. 

An active member of the community, Mayor Bottoms is a member of the State Bar of Georgia, Jack and Jill of America, The Links, Incorporated, and Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She has also served on the board of Families First and shares her personal story of adoption and advocates on behalf of adoption and foster care. 

Mayor Bottoms is the daughter of Sylvia Robinson and R&B icon Major Lance. She resides in historic Southwest Atlanta with her husband, Derek W. Bottoms, their four children- Lance, Langston, Lennox and Lincoln, and their family dog, Logan.

Dave Wilkinson is one of America’s leading law enforcement professionals.  Before joining the Atlanta Police Foundation, he served for 22 years with the United States Secret Service in a variety of senior operational and managerial positions, including Assistant Special Agent in Charge of Presidential Protection under Presidents Clinton and George W. Bush, Special Agent in Charge of the Office of Investigations, and Special Agent in Charge of the Secret Service’s Georgia Division.

He was awarded the Secret Service Distinguished Service Award from President Bush for his leadership, supervision of agents and decisive actions on 9-11, when the nation was under multiple terrorist attacks.

Dave was named President & CEO of the Atlanta Police Foundation (APF) in 2005.  Working with three successive Atlanta mayors and Chiefs of Police, Dave created the Foundation’s unique public/private partnership designed to make Atlanta the safest large city in the nation.

The Foundation is an independent non-profit, funded by business, philanthropic and civic leaders in Atlanta.  The public/private partnership has allowed APF to bring the long-term focus and fiscal discipline of the private sector to law enforcement challenges of a major urban market.

As one of the most respected thought leaders in the law enforcement community nationally, Dave has led the Atlanta Police Foundation to be an indispensable strategic planning and research partner to the Mayor of Atlanta, the Chief of Police and the Atlanta Police Department’s Command Staff.  The Foundation creates innovative training protocols, researches and funds state-of-the-art technology for law enforcement, and develops long-term approaches that address perennial public safety issues, such as repeat offenders, police visibility, police collaboration with the courts, probation and corrections system, and youth crime.

APF created the nationally-renowned At-Promise initiative, which addresses youth crime by building strong bonds between police officers and young people and diverting troubled youth toward a pathway to productive lives. In the program’s first two years of operation, it has reduced recidivism of its nearly 400 enrollees to four percent, from a national average of nearly 70 percent.

Earlier this year, the FBI honored the Atlanta Police Foundation’s At-Promise initiative with its coveted Director’s Award, for significant advances in crime reduction and community engagement.

Dave is a graduate of Tennessee Tech University. He lives in Brooks, Georgia, with his wife, Renee, and his two sons, Jacob and Jonathan.

Erika Shields is the 24^th Chief of the City of Atlanta Police Department (APD), appointed in December 2016. She is an advocate for 21^st Century Policing – with a focus on reducing crime while also strengthening trust and collaboration with our communities. Chief Shields has a tough mindset on crime, but a compassionate and proactive approach to working with the community and its leaders while also ensuring accountability for officers. She is committed to developing a culture of technology, innovation, excellence and transparency throughout the organization.

Since her appointment as Chief, the department has made significant strides in its focus on reducing violent crimes and taking repeat offenders and stolen guns off the streets. She continues to work closely with judicial leaders to advocate for stronger sentencing for those individuals who commit violent felonies.  She also believes engaging children and young adults is critical and takes a positive, proactive approach with programs like the Police Athletic League and the Atlanta Police Foundation’s At-Promise Center. These programs provide participants with an opportunity to interact with officers through mentorship and recreational programs.

Under Chief Shields’ leadership, the APD is leveraging technology more than ever with video cameras, crime analysis and analytics to more easily track crime trends, adjust strategies and allocate resources accordingly. The Video Integration Center links more than 10,000 public and private cameras in a network to help identify and deter criminals. Operation Aware is a partnership with Microsoft that allows the agency to analyze crime patterns with greater efficiency and speed. The results are noteworthy.  In the Chief’s first full year in 2017, according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reports, major crimes were down 8 percent, armed robberies were down 32 percent, burglaries were down 23 percent and murders were down 29 percent compared to 2016.

Chief Shields joined the APD in 1995 following a career as a stockbroker. During her tenure, she rose through the ranks as a Patrol Officer, Sergeant, Lieutenant, Major and Deputy Chief.  She holds a BA degree in International Studies from Webster University and a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Saint Leo University. She is an active member of many organizations and is  on the board for the Major Cities Chiefs Association.