Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed to Keynote 2012 Athens Chamber Annual Meeting

ATHENS, Ga., Jan. 23 – The Athens Area Chamber of Commerce will welcome Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed as the keynote speaker for its 109th annual meeting Feb. 27. The announcement was made at the Chamber’s monthly board meeting today.
“Mayor Reed’s words and actions – that cooperation and common sense triumph over politics and partisanship – are relevant for Athens and our entire region,” said Brian Brodrick of Jackson Spalding, the 2012 Chamber Chair. “Mayor Reed has forged a unique bond with our President and our Governor and is a rising star in national politics. We look forward to hearing his message.”
Reed became the 59th mayor of the City of Atlanta in 2010 and has since increased the city’s reserves, hired several hundred police officers and firefighters and improved several key city departments. Reed has been lauded by national political analysts and governance experts for his bi-partisan leadership style on state and regional efforts as well as for his willingness to tackle tough issues faced by Atlanta, including pension reform, transportation, and education.
Reed will speak during the meeting at the Classic Center, which starts at 6:00 p.m. The event typically brings in nearly 400 business leaders from across the region.
Reed took office on Jan. 4, 2010, and immediately went to work on restoring several services in Atlanta while stabilizing the city’s budget. In two years, he has increased the city’s reserves from $7.4 million to $94 million and led a reform to address the city’s pension fund liability.
He’s hired more than 400 police officers and improved fire-rescue response times and service delivery of city departments such as Sanitation and Public Works. Reed also reopened the 16 recreation centers – many are in some of the poorest neighborhoods in Atlanta – that were closed in previous years due to a lack of funding. He is also the chairman of the Transportation and Communications Committee of the U.S. Conference of Mayors.
Prior to his election, Reed served in the Georgia General Assembly for 11 years, first as a state representative and then as a senator. He ultimately became vice chairman of the Senate Democratic Caucus.
Reed is also chairman of the Regional Transit Committee of the Atlanta Regional Commission. He is a member of the Leadership Georgia Class of 2000 and the Leadership Atlanta Class of 1998. Previously, he served on the boards for the National Black Arts Festival and Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund.
He graduated from Howard University with Bachelor of Arts and Juris Doctor degrees. His alma mater awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree in March. Reed has been a member of the school’s Board of Trustees for 10 years.
“As a former Mayor, I know a thing or two about politics, and I can tell you that being the mayor of Atlanta is not for the faint of heart,” said Chamber President Doc Eldridge. “Mayor Reed has shown the rest of us that working together, across the aisles, to do what is right, is in fact attainable. He is one of Georgia’s best and brightest, and we know he’ll deliver a message that will resonate with leaders in the Athens area.”
The annual meeting will begin with a cocktail reception at 5 p.m., with the program starting at 6 p.m. and finishing by 8 p.m. Several annual honors will be announced, including the Chamber Champion, Bentley Award, Ambassador of the Year, Athena award and the Clarke County School District’s Educator of Excellence. Brief remarks will be offered by Eldridge and Brodrick as well.
Confirmed event sponsors to date include AT&T, Athens First Bank & Trust, Athens Regional Health System, Blasingame, Burch, Garrard & Ashley, Chastain & Associates, Georgia Power, Georgia United Credit Union, Gwinnett Federal Credit Union, Jackson Spalding, Kaiser Permanente, Pinnacle Bank, St. Mary’s Healthcare System, and Wells Fargo. Sponsorships and individual tickets are still available; more information is available at www.athensga.com or by contacting Jo Sullivan at jo@athensga.com.
About the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce
Since 1903 the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce has helped its members and community grow and prosper, providing several business-to-business opportunities throughout the year, workforce and economic development, leadership opportunities through L.E.A.D. Athens and community involvement through One Athens and the Clarke County mentor program.