Travis Townsend is a candidate to become the first mayor of the newly formed city of South Fulton, GA in the Atlanta metropolitan area. The formation of the city was approved in November 2016, it will be incorporated on May 1, and the mayoral election will take place March 21. Townsend was motivated to run in this history-making race because he feels it is time out for waiting for the next person to be the candidate we want. In addition to always having an ambitious spirit, Townsend has always been community service-oriented. “I care about the people I serve,” he said.

An accomplished business attorney and entrepreneur, Townsend built his leadership skills and capacity for service within the National Urban League Movement. “NULYP prepared me to lead,” he said. “The Urban League raised me up and gave me the foundations of being civically engaged.” Townsend first joined the Movement as a member of the NULITES (National Urban League Incentives to Excel & Succeed) teen leadership program. He went on to join the Urban League of Greater Atlanta Young Professionals where he progressed to lead the Personal and Professional Development Committee and where he eventually served as chapter president. Townsend gained greater awareness of national NULYP initiatives via attending the annual Legislative Policy Conference. “I loved going on The Hill and talking to the representatives and lobbying for our issues through the Urban League, and making things better on a national scale,” he said. Townsend ultimately served as national Programs Chair for NULYP.

Townsend believes that taking on leadership roles in NULYP allowed him a safe space to be creative, to learn conflict resolution techniques and management skills. He said his NULYP experience also took away for him the mystery of how government and civic engagement works. He plans to use these experiences as mayor of South Fulton. If elected, he plans to make sure basic city services including a fire department, a police department, public works and water services work for their citizens with a culture of excellence. After the “nuts and bolts” are established, Townsend plans to make this majority African American city of approximately 120,000 residents an international business hub in the Atlanta metropolitan area. He plans to be an ambassador to entice job creators to participate in development and implementation of the city plan. He wants South Fulton, located just minutes from the Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, to be known for industry. Townsend is well aware of the challenges he will face as leader of this new municipality, but he plans to focus on opportunity. He is determined to be “brave and innovative.”

Townsend wants other young leaders to remember that “we can do a lot to insulate and protect ourselves from challenging federal policy by electing local officials who have empathy for our communities.” “We have to build the government we want,” he said. He would like to see more YPs be empowered to run for mayor in major and minor cities across the country. “Don’t be afraid, be active,” he said. Townsend encourages all YPs to think bigger, take ownership of their leadership skills, and start today to Be The Movement.