Ivy R. Taylor is a history maker. She was elected Mayor of San Antonio on June 13, 2015. Mayor Taylor is the first African-American elected to this position. Prior to that, she was appointed to the office of Mayor in July, 2014, to fulfill Julian Castro’s unexpired term. She had served as the District 2 City Council Representative for a total of five years, beginning with her election in June, 2009.
Mayor Taylor began her career working for the City of San Antonio in the Housing and Community Development Department and the Neighborhood Action Department. While at the City, she worked with a variety of neighborhood associations, developers and nonprofit organizations in order to facilitate inner city redevelopment. After six years, she left employment with the City of San Antonio to become Vice President at Merced Housing Texas. At Merced, she worked to create and implement programs to improve family stability for apartment community residents. For six years, Mayor Taylor also lectured at UTSA in the Public Administration Department.
During her tenure on the City Council and as Mayor, she has remained focused on balanced growth throughout this city and targeted investment in areas where opportunities have been limited. She led the effort to bring over $50million in federal funding for revitalization of San Antonio’s Eastside. As Mayor, she and the City Council worked with San Antonio Water Systems to achieve unanimous approval for the Vista Ridge Water Supply project which will help ensure water supply for this growing city.
Mayor Taylor currently serves on the board for Healthy Futures of Texas and Big Brothers Big Sisters of South Texas. She has served on the City’s Planning Commission and as a Commissioner for the City’s Urban Renewal Agency (SADA). Mayor Taylor completed the Leadership San Antonio class sponsored by the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce. She was also acknowledged by the San Antonio Business Journal as a “Rising Star” in their “40 under 40” class in 2004.
Mayor Taylor’s achievement makes a great statement in a city that has a large Hispanic population. Mayor Taylor sees her leadership role as a way to inspire the next generation. There are many young African-Americans that feel like their choices are limited, but Mayor Taylor being the first elected African-American Mayor of San Antonio will inspire them to believe that anything is possible with hard work.
Mayor Taylor knows that San Antonio has provided many people with amazing opportunities. Mayor Taylor’s leadership as the Mayor of San Antonio will help the San Antonio community continue to build and grow.
Mayor Taylor obtained a Master’s Degree in City and Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1998. In 1992, she received a Bachelor’s Degree from Yale University. Mayor Taylor is a devoted wife and a mother.
The Honorable Ivy R. Taylor
Mayor of San Antonio
City Hall
100 Military Plaza
San Antonio, TX 78205
