Columbus Mayor Teresa Pike Tomlinson ’87 to deliver commencement address
Posted on February 16, 2015 by Christy Jackson
Teresa Pike Tomlinson ’87Teresa Pike Tomlinson ’87, the first female mayor of Columbus, Ga., will deliver the keynote address at Sweet Briar College’s 106th commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 16, 2015.
Tomlinson was elected to her first term as the 69th mayor of Columbus in November 2010 and was reelected in May 2014, making her the first mayor since the city’s 1971 consolidation to win reelection in a contested race. Since taking office, she has overseen the reform of the city’s pension and healthcare plans and the Muscogee County Prison system, saving taxpayers millions of dollars.
Prior to her service as mayor, Tomlinson served as executive director of MidTown, Inc., a non-profit community renewal organization in Columbus, from 2006-2010. She received her law degree in 1991 from Emory University School of Law and practiced for 16 years with the firm of Pope, McGlamry, Kilpatrick, Morrison and Norwood, LLC, where she specialized in complex litigation and was the firm’s first female partner.
She has been named to Georgia Trend’s 100 Most Influential Georgians three times, and she holds a National Security Secret Clearance with the Department of Defense.
A dedicated Sweet Briar alumna, Tomlinson received the College’s Distinguished Alumna Award in 2011 for her professional and volunteer accomplishments.
She has repeatedly been honored by the Columbus City Council and the Georgia House of Representatives for her volunteer work. In addition, she has received a Certificate of Special U.S. Congressional Recognition for “outstanding achievement, service and public distinction” and was named a Concharty Council of Girl Scouts Woman of Achievement.
For more information, visit the College’s commencement website.
