Stephanie Rawlings-Blake

Stephanie Rawlings-Blake launched her political career at the age of 25, when she became the youngest person ever elected to the Baltimore City Council. She then won a citywide election to become City Council President, where she served for three years before becoming mayor. She has also served as president of the United States Conference of Mayors—the first Black woman to hold the post.

As mayor, she led Baltimore through the 2015 protests which were sparked by the death of Freddie Gray, who was arrested and sustained fatal injuries while in police custody. She also created Baltimore’s first long-range financial plan, putting Baltimore on track to reduce homeowner property taxes by more than 20% over a 10-year period. She developed and adopted several innovative programs and projects, including the Climate Action Plan, Homegrown Baltimore Urban Agriculture Plan, and the Green Network Plan (an initiative aimed at reclaiming vacant land to create green space). Her Vacants to Value initiative, targeted at reducing vacant structures, won the Urban Land Institute’s Robert C. Larson Workforce Housing Public Policy Awards and was recognized by the Obama administration, the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and The Financial Times, to name a few.

Today, Stephanie serves on the Airbnb Housing Council, which convenes housing experts, elected officials, and academic institutions across the country to advise the company on initiatives it can support to help resolve the issue of housing supply. She also runs her own consulting firm, SRB & Associates, where she works with people who are finding innovative solutions to the unique challenges cities face. Her past clients include national players like Hudson News and MasterCard.