President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday that former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms will join the administration and serve as Senior Advisor to the President for Public Engagement, replacing Cedric Richmond, according to Axios.
The White House explained the role Bottoms will have going forward, and said that she will provide "diverse perspectives" to Biden from community leaders across the country.
"In this role, Bottoms will oversee the White House Office of Public Engagement, which works at the local, state, and national levels to ensure community leaders, diverse perspectives, and new voices have the opportunity to inform the work of the President in an inclusive, transparent and responsible way," the White House said.
Biden said in a statement that he is looking forward to working with Bottoms, and that she "has the integrity required to represent our Administration to the American public."
“Mayor Bottoms understands that democracy is about making government work for working families, for the people who are the backbone of this country," Biden said in the statement. She led the city of Atlanta with strength through the pandemic, through a summer of protests and pain, and through the mass shooting that left Atlanta’s Asian American community in fear.
"Keisha is bright, honorable, tough and has the integrity required to represent our Administration to the American public. Jill and I have known Keisha for a long time and look forward to working with her more closely."
Bottoms was once considered to be Biden's running mate in the 2020 election, according to NPR. She served as the 60th mayor of Atlanta from 2018 to 2022, and did not run for a second term as mayor. She was previously a member of the Atlanta City Council from 2010 to 2017.
"Keisha became the first Mayor in Atlanta’s history to have served in all three branches of government, having previously served as a Judge and a City Councilmember," the White House said. "As Mayor, she committed herself to realizing her vision of “One Atlanta” – an affordable, resilient, and equitable Atlanta."
Axios reported in May that Biden was also considering former Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx as Richmond's replacement. The New York Times first reported that Richmond was leaving the White House in April, as he is expected take a position in the private sector as well as becoming a senior adviser to the Democratic National Committee.
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