‘STRONG LEADERS’

Ex-Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms Tapped as Senior White House Aide

Bottoms is set to become director of the White House Office of Public Engagement.

Keisha Lance Bottoms, the former mayor of Atlanta who was considered as a potential running mate to Joe Biden after she rose to national attention for her response to 2020’s racial justice protests, is headed for the White House, according to Axios. Bottoms has been tapped to serve as a senior adviser—specifically, as director of the White House Office of Public Engagement, where she’ll be responsible for engaging with businesses and communities on matters of Biden’s agenda. A White House official told NBC News that the new hire would formally be announced Wednesday, but Bottoms, who served one term as mayor from 2018 to 2022, confirmed her appointment in an interview with Axios. “I know what it’s like to lead through difficult times and how important it is to have strong leaders around you to navigate,” she said. “We’ve been through some very challenging times, especially for African Americans in this country. Those challenges are still very fresh and real to me.” Bottoms, who told Axios she planned to do “more listening than anything,” attracted praise from Biden in the summer of 2020, when she spoke directly to demonstrators protesting the police death of George Floyd.