Category: Mayor

Karen Bass
Karen Bass


Karen Bass assumed office as mayor of Los Angeles, California, on Dec. 12, 2022, the first woman elected as mayor of that city. Previously, Bass served in the U.S. House of Representatives for California from 2011-2023. Bass was born October 3, 1953, in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from the USC Keck School of Medicine Physician Assistant Program in 1982, from California State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in health sciences in 1990, and from the University of Southern California with a master's degree in social work in […]
Muriel Bowser
Muriel Bowser


Muriel Bowser has served as the mayor of the District of Columbia since January 2, 2015, the second woman to be elected to that position. Bowser was born on August 2, 1972 and grew up in D.C. She earned a bachelor's degree in history from Chatham College and a master's in public policy from the American University School of Public Affairs. Bowser began her political career when she was elected to the Advisory Neighborhood Commission in 2004, serving until 2007. From 2007 to 2015, she served on the Council of […]
Lisa Brown
Lisa Brown


Lisa Brown assumed office as the mayor of Spokane, Washington, on January 1, 2024. She is a former state legislator and former chancellor of Washington State University, Spokane. Brown was born October 9, 1956, in Robison, Illinois. She received a Bachelor of Arts in sociology and economics from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, and a Masters of Arts and Ph.D. in economics from the University of Colorado, Boulder. She was an associate professor of economics at Eastern Washington University from 1981 to 2001, serving as the interim director of the […]
Sheila Dixon
Sheila Dixon


Sheila Dixon was elected as the first female and third African American mayor of Baltimore, Maryland, in January 2007, after her predecessor, Martin O'Malley, was sworn into office as Maryland's governor. Dixon was born 1953 in Baltimore, Maryland. She graduated from Baltimore's educationalist training college, Towson, and earned her master's degree from Johns Hopkins University. Prior to serving as mayor, Dixon taught as an elementary and adult educator, and worked in Maryland's Department of Business and Economic Development on international trade issues. Dixon was elected to Baltimore's city council in […]
Gretchen Driskell
Gretchen Driskell


Gretchen Driskell has served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2012 - 2017, representing the 52nd District. Prior to serving in the legislature, she was the mayor of Saline, Michigan, the first woman to hold that position. Driskell was the Democratic nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives in Michigan's 7th congressional district in both 2016 and 2018, but lost in the general election both times. Driskell was born October 1, 1958, in Port Washington, New York. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting degree from Lynchburg […]
Dianne Feinstein
Dianne Feinstein


Dianne Feinstein served as a United States senator from California from November 1992 to September 2023, the first woman senator from that state. On Feb. 14, 2023, she announced that she would not run for re-election in 2024, but passed away before finishing her term. Feinstein was born in San Francisco, California, on June 22, 1933. She graduated from Stanford University in 1955. Feinstein was a member of the California Women's Board of Terms and Parole from 1960-1966. She served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors from 1970-1978 and […]
Lois Frankel
Lois Frankel


Lois Frankel has served as a U.S. representative for Florida since 2013. She served the 22nd District from 2013-2017, the 21st District from 2017-2023, and currently serves the 22nd District again. Frankel was born in New York, New York, on May 16, 1948. She received a B.A. from Boston University and J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center. Previously she served 14 years in the Florida state legislature, and became the first woman to serve as Democratic minority leader. She was then elected mayor of West Palm Beach in 2003 and […]
Shirley Franklin
Shirley Franklin


Shirley Franklin served as mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, from 2002 to 2010. She was the first African American woman to be elected mayor of a major Southern city. Franklin was born May 10, 1945, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She received her bachelor of arts in sociology from Howard University and her master of arts in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. In 1978, Franklin served as the commissioner of cultural affairs under Mayor Maynard Jackson. Under the leadership of Mayor Andrew Young, she was later appointed as the nation's first woman […]
Marcia Fudge
Marcia L Fudge


Marcia L. Fudge served as U.S. secretary of housing and urban development from March 10, 2021-March 22, 2024. Previously, she represented Ohio's 11th District in the United States House of Representatives from 2008-2021. Fudge was born October 29, 1952. She completed her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration at The Ohio State University in 1975, and in 1983, she received her law degree from Cleveland State University. From 2000-2008, Fudge served as the mayor of Warrensville Heights, Ohio, becoming the city's first female and first African American elected as […]
Kristin Gaspar
Kristin Gaspar


Kristin Gaspar was a candidate for the U.S. House of Representatives in the 2018 election for California’s 49th congressional district, losing in the general election. A native of San Diego, Gaspar graduated from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism. In 2002, she and her husband started a family healthcare practice. Prior to running for the U.S. House, Gaspar served on the Encinitas (Calif.) City Council from 2010-2016, as mayor of Encinitas from 2014-2016 and on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors from 2017-2021.