Carole Smitherman
Carole Catlin Smitherman (born 1952) is the sitting President of the Birmingham City Council. She represents District 6 and also serves as Chair of the Administration, Budget & Finance Committee and as a member of the Economic Development & Job Recruitment and Education committees. She was first elected to the City Council in 2001 and has been re-elected twice. Her current term ends in 2009.
Smitherman graduated from Spelman College in Atlanta and received her Juris Doctorate from Miles College in Birmingham, graduating first in her class. She was the first African-American woman to serve as a circuit court judge in Alabama. She has also worked for district attorney’s office and currently is in private practice with her husband.
Smitherman is married to Alabama State Senator Rodger Smitherman. They have five children.
Smitherman claims the following accomplishments in her official biography:
- Establishing an oratorical context for Birmingham students to develop language proficiency.
- Creating the Children of the Village program, aimed at teaching strategies for success
- Supporting Strings for Students to give children access to classical music training.
- Initiating Economic Development Summits to address concerns and challenges faced by small businesses and corporations operating in Birmingham.
Smitherman was a childhood friend of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and, in 2004, invited her to visit Birmingham.
External link
- Smitherman page at informationbirmingham.com