The Honorable Kasim Reed

Mayor Kasim Reed was born on June 10, 1969 in Plainfield, New Jersey to Sylvia and Junius Reed. He received his B.A. degree in political science from Howard University in Washington D.C. in 1991 and his J.D. degree from Howard University School of Law in 1995.

Reed interned for Congressman Joseph Patrick Kennedy II. After law school, he joined Paul, Hastings, Janofsky & Walker LLP in Atlanta, Georgia before becoming partner at Holland & Knight LLP. In 1998, Reed was elected Georgia State Representative for the 52nd House District. He also served as campaign manager for Shirley Franklin in 2001 and was part of her transition team after she was elected Mayor of Atlanta in 2002. That same year, Reed was elected Georgia State Senator for the 35th Senate District. In 2009, Reed resigned from his Georgia Senate position to run for Mayor of Atlanta. He was elected to two terms beginning in 2010 and ending in 2018. Reed then joined Squire Patton Boggs in Atlanta, Georgia before being hired by McDermott Will & Emery LLC, also in Atlanta.

Reed has received numerous awards and honors including recognition as Georgia Trend magazine’s "40 under 40 Rising Stars" in 2001, one of "10 Outstanding Atlantans" by Outstanding Atlanta, one of the "100 Most Influential African-Americans Under 45" by The Root, and one of Governing magazine’s "Public Officials of the Year" in 2011. He was also the recipient of the Oglethorpe Sword Award from the British Consulate and the Louis E. Martin Great American Award from the Joint Center in 2012, a Local Hero Award from GLAAD and a Courage Award from the Islamic Speakers Bureau in 2016, a President's Medal of Achievement from Howard University in 2019, and an Ambassador of Goodwill Award from the Harlem Globetrotters in 2021. Reed also received an honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Oglethorpe University and Howard University in 2011.

Reed was a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 1998, the Leadership Georgia Class of 2000, and the Aspen Institute-Rodel Fellowship Class of 2007. He served on the board of the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund. He was also named trustee of Howard University in 2002.

Reed resides in Atlanta, Georgia. He has one daughter named Maria.

The Honorable Kasim Reed was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on April 16, 2025.