Grand Marshal: Charlotte Mayor Jennifer Roberts
Mayor Jennifer Roberts is honored this year as the Grand Marshal of the 2016 Bank of America Charlotte Pride Parade and the recipient of this year’s Champions of Pride Outstanding Ally Award. Mayor Roberts has a deep commitment to the local LGBTQ community. Her tireless efforts helped to ensure equality during the city’s debate on local non-discrimination protections and in the aftermath of HB2. Her support of a safe and welcoming Charlotte for all who call our city home has been an inspiration to many.
Jennifer Roberts was raised in Charlotte and now she and her husband, Manley, are raising their two children here as well. Roberts graduated as valedictorian from East Mecklenburg High School, attended UNC-Chapel Hill on a Morehead Scholarship—where she was captain of the Tarheel women’s volleyball team her senior year—and has Masters degrees from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the University of Toronto.
She has worked as a diplomat for the State Department, as an international business woman and as a high school math teacher. She served four terms as an At-Large Mecklenburg County Commissioner, including five years as Chairman. She is only the second woman elected Mayor of Charlotte and is the first person to serve as both Chairman of the County Commission and as Mayor.
Roberts is a proud recipient of the Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Award and has served as a volunteer on numerous local boards and commissions including the Charlotte Chamber, Charlotte Regional Partnership, Arts and Science Council, Girls Scouts Hornets Nest Council, International House, and the Women’s Commission. She has been a tireless advocate for improving public schools and was instrumental in creating a public/private partnership to
build a new shelter for survivors of domestic violence.
Roberts is an outdoor enthusiast, having climbed Mount Kilimanjaro, and enjoys hiking North Carolina trails with her family and riding her bike on the greenway.
