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Mayor Woodfin Announces Sub-Committee Co-Chairs of Transition Team for Second Term

Birmingham, Ala. — Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin today named sub-committee co-chairs who will serve on a transition team that will help frame his second term as mayor.

The new term began with Mayor Woodfin’s inauguration on Nov. 23, and the transition team will work for the first 100 days to create a roadmap for fulfilling the second-term priorities outlined in Mayor Woodfin’s Vision 2025 plan.

“Our overarching goals for the next four years include an expanded focus on revitalizing all 99 neighborhoods, investing in people, reimagining public safety and realizing our city’s economic potential,” Mayor Woodfin said. “These transition leaders will integrate those goals into strategic areas and help us set a clear direction for the future.”

Transition Team Sub-committee co-chairs include:

Education & Talent

  • Dr. Ashley Samuels, CEO, Birmingham Education Foundation
  • Waymond Jackson, CEO, ED Farm

Neighborhood Housing & Homelessness

  • Kelleigh Gamble, Executive Director, Neighborhood Housing Services
  • Anne Rygiel, Executive Director, Firehouse Shelter

Accountable and Efficient Government

  • Brian Giattina, Chief Development Officer, BLOX
  • Merrill Stewart, President & CEO, Stewart Perry Construction

Entrepreneurship and Economic Development

  • Khadijah Abdullah, Vice President for Economic Development, Shipt
  • Greg Barker, CEO, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama

Arts, Culture & Entertainment

  • Kathryn Harbert, Philanthropist
  • Eric Essix, Artist

Mayor Woodfin previously announced co-chairs for the full transition team: Myla Calhoun, Vice President Birmingham Division, Alabama Power Company; Dr. Josh Carpenter, President and CEO, Southern Research; and DeJuana L. Thompson, President and CEO, Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

“Our goal with this transition team is to look at what we’re doing as a community and where we need to go,” Mayor Woodfin said at the time. “The people of Birmingham did not give me a second term to maintain the status quo. They gave me a second term so that we can shift to an even higher gear to move this city forward.”