Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms is returning to the White House in a new role within President Joe Biden’s administration.
Bottoms, who served as mayor from 2018 through 2021, has been appointed as a member of the President’s Export Council, which serves as the principal national advisory committee on international trade, the White House announced last Friday.
Specifically, the White House said the Council advises the president on government policies and programs that affect U.S. trade performance; promotes export expansion; and provides a forum for discussing and resolving trade-related problems in the business, industrial, agricultural, labor, and government sectors.
Sharing the news on Twitter, Bottoms said she’s “honored” to be a part of Biden’s Council.
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
Credit: Alyssa Pointer / Alyssa.Pointer@ajc.com
“Keisha Lance Bottoms is a visionary leader,” the White House’s statement said. “Serving as Mayor of Atlanta in the midst of a global pandemic and racial justice movement, Bottoms proved herself to be a highly respected leader and voice. During one of the worst economic downturns in history, Bottoms led her administration in proactively dealing with the impact of the COVID-19, successfully delivering four years of balanced budgets without resorting to property tax increases, layoffs, or furloughs of city employees.”
Bottoms joined the White House last summer as director of the Office of Public Engagement and senior adviser to President Biden. She extended her tenure in that temporary role several times before she stepped down from that position in late March.
But Bottoms has continued to serve as one of Biden’s confidants, so much so that she learned in May that she is one of the 500 Americans banned from entering Russia. Bottoms worked with outside advocates when WNBA player Brittney Griner was released from Russian captivity last December.
Bottoms was also an early supporter of Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign. During her time as mayor, she was an avid critic of former President Donald Trump, she was considered as Biden’s potential running mate, and she later declined a job offer in Biden’s administration.
According to the White House, “Bottoms helped ensure that the diverse voices of the American public were heard and concerns translated into meaningful action by the administration.”
