Lottie Shackelford
Encyclopedia
Lottie H. Shackelford is an African-American politician. In 1987, she became the first woman elected Mayor
of Little Rock, Arkansas
. Six years later, President Bill Clinton
appointed her to the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
(OPIC), making her the first African American woman to serve in that capacity. She is also the longest serving Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee
(DNC), having been continuously re-elected to the position since 1989 and working with six different Chairmen over the past eighteen years.
in Little Rock, Arkansas; she was a Senior Fellow at the Arkansas Institute of Politics; and a fellow at John F. Kennedy School of Government
, Harvard University.
. Additionally, she presented papers on local government, economic development and electoral politics, both nationally and internationally, and has led economic trade missions and conducted lecture tours in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
For the past several decades, Ms. Shackelford has worked tirelessly with the Democratic Party
at the state and national level. She served as Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Arkansas State Democratic Committee, and was elected Secretary of the National Association of State Democratic Chairs. A member of the DNC since the early 1980s, Ms. Shackelford served as Co-Chair of the Platform Committee in 1984 and of the Rules Committee in 1988, and currently serves on the Resolutions Committee.
Ms. Shackelford was appointed Co-Chair of the 1988 Democratic National Convention
, held in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Shackelford has been a Delegate to every Democratic National Convention
since 1980.
Ms. Shackelford’s extensive political experience at the national level also includes advising presidential candidates, working on White House transition teams, and representing the administration abroad. In 1992, she was a Deputy Campaign manager for the Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign; and was later appointed Co-Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Clinton Transition Team. In 1993, President Clinton appointed Ms. Shackelford a US Delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
, Vienna, Austria.
With wide-ranging institutional knowledge and unique political experience that few others possess, Ms. Shackelford remains an invaluable asset to the Democratic Party. In her role as DNC Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation, Ms. Shackelford travels across the country and around the world, sharing the Democratic Party’s message and engaging voters in the political process. She regularly participates in political forums of other countries, including Azerbaijan, Russia, West Germany and Taiwan, and has observed elections in Romania and the Baltics.
Ms. Shackelford is Senior Executive Vice President of Global USA, Inc., and is a member of various civic and community organizations, including the National Urban League
, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
(NAACP), Delta Sigma Theta
sorority and The Links, Incorporated. She has an extensive record of serving on numerous boards and commissions, and is currently on the Board of Directors of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, Phoenix, Arizona.
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the capital and the largest city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 699,757 people in the 2010 census...
. Six years later, President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
appointed her to the Board of Directors of the Overseas Private Investment Corporation
Overseas Private Investment Corporation
The Overseas Private Investment Corporation is an independent agency of the United States Government that mobilizes U.S. private sector investment in new and emerging markets overseas in order to support both the sustainable economic development of those markets and the creation of American jobs...
(OPIC), making her the first African American woman to serve in that capacity. She is also the longest serving Vice Chair of the Democratic National Committee
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee is the principal organization governing the United States Democratic Party on a day to day basis. While it is responsible for overseeing the process of writing a platform every four years, the DNC's central focus is on campaign and political activity in support...
(DNC), having been continuously re-elected to the position since 1989 and working with six different Chairmen over the past eighteen years.
Education
Ms. Shackelford received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration from Philander Smith CollegePhilander Smith College
Philander Smith College is a private, historically black college that is affiliated with the United Methodist Church. It is located in Little Rock, Arkansas. The student body averages around 850 attendees, with around 30% of that figure attending part time. Although known historically as a school...
in Little Rock, Arkansas; she was a Senior Fellow at the Arkansas Institute of Politics; and a fellow at John F. Kennedy School of Government
John F. Kennedy School of Government
The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University is a public policy and public administration school, and one of Harvard's graduate and professional schools...
, Harvard University.
Career
Ms. Shackelford's political career began in 1978 when she was elected to the Board of Directors for the city of Little Rock, Arkansas, and was re-elected city-wide three times to that position before becoming the City’s first woman Mayor. During her tenure in local government, Ms. Shackelford directed liaison activities for minority businesses and held leadership positions in the National League of CitiesNational League of Cities
The National League of Cities is an American advocacy organization representing 19,000 cities, towns, and villages, and encompassing 49 state municipal leagues....
. Additionally, she presented papers on local government, economic development and electoral politics, both nationally and internationally, and has led economic trade missions and conducted lecture tours in Europe, Asia, and Africa.
For the past several decades, Ms. Shackelford has worked tirelessly with the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
at the state and national level. She served as Secretary, Vice Chair, and Chair of the Arkansas State Democratic Committee, and was elected Secretary of the National Association of State Democratic Chairs. A member of the DNC since the early 1980s, Ms. Shackelford served as Co-Chair of the Platform Committee in 1984 and of the Rules Committee in 1988, and currently serves on the Resolutions Committee.
Ms. Shackelford was appointed Co-Chair of the 1988 Democratic National Convention
1988 Democratic National Convention
The 1988 National Convention of the U.S. Democratic Party was held at The Omni in Atlanta, Georgia from July 18–July 21, 1988 to select a candidate for the 1988 United States presidential election. At the convention Gov. Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts was nominated for President and...
, held in Atlanta, Georgia. Ms. Shackelford has been a Delegate to every Democratic National Convention
Democratic National Convention
The Democratic National Convention is a series of presidential nominating conventions held every four years since 1832 by the United States Democratic Party. They have been administered by the Democratic National Committee since the 1852 national convention...
since 1980.
Ms. Shackelford’s extensive political experience at the national level also includes advising presidential candidates, working on White House transition teams, and representing the administration abroad. In 1992, she was a Deputy Campaign manager for the Clinton/Gore Presidential Campaign; and was later appointed Co-Director of Intergovernmental Affairs for the Clinton Transition Team. In 1993, President Clinton appointed Ms. Shackelford a US Delegate to the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
United Nations Commission on the Status of Women
The Commission on the Status of Women is a functional commission of the United Nations Economic and Social Council , one of the main UN organs within the United Nations.Every year, representatives of Member States gather at United Nations Headquarters in New York to evaluate progress on gender...
, Vienna, Austria.
With wide-ranging institutional knowledge and unique political experience that few others possess, Ms. Shackelford remains an invaluable asset to the Democratic Party. In her role as DNC Vice Chair of Voter Registration and Participation, Ms. Shackelford travels across the country and around the world, sharing the Democratic Party’s message and engaging voters in the political process. She regularly participates in political forums of other countries, including Azerbaijan, Russia, West Germany and Taiwan, and has observed elections in Romania and the Baltics.
Ms. Shackelford is Senior Executive Vice President of Global USA, Inc., and is a member of various civic and community organizations, including the National Urban League
National Urban League
The National Urban League , formerly known as the National League on Urban Conditions Among Negroes, is a nonpartisan civil rights organization based in New York City that advocates on behalf of African Americans and against racial discrimination in the United States. It is the oldest and largest...
, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, usually abbreviated as NAACP, is an African-American civil rights organization in the United States, formed in 1909. Its mission is "to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to...
(NAACP), Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta
Delta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...
sorority and The Links, Incorporated. She has an extensive record of serving on numerous boards and commissions, and is currently on the Board of Directors of Medicis Pharmaceutical Corporation, Phoenix, Arizona.
Awards
- Registry of Outstanding Men and Women, Esquire Magazine
- Woman of the Year, Arkansas Democrat newspaper
- 1993: Arkansas Black Hall of Fame inductee
- 1998: Mary Church Terrell Award, Delta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma ThetaDelta Sigma Theta is a non-profit Greek-lettered sorority of college-educated women who perform public service and place emphasis on the African American community. Delta Sigma Theta Sorority was founded on January 13, 1913 by twenty-two collegiate women at Howard University...