Tom Leppert was elected mayor of Dallas in June 2007.

Since taking office, Mayor Leppert and the City Council have pursued policies that have dramatically improved the quality of life in Dallas. The crime rate has been reduced by double digits, major firms like AT&T and Tenet Healthcare have moved to Downtown Dallas and construction is underway on the Convention Center Hotel, Main Street Garden, the Woodall Rogers Deck Park and the Calatrava-designed Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge over the Trinity River. In addition, the city is celebrating the opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center, more college football games have found a home at the Cotton Bowl in Fair Park, and new plants in Southern Dallas and at the Inland Port have created hundreds of new jobs. And with his successful initiative to create green commercial and residential building codes, he has also helped move Dallas closer to being one of the top sustainable cities in the country.

Additionally, the Mayor has pursued a strong trade agenda leading delegations to China, Taiwan, Mexico and Canada and in November will be the first Dallas mayor to lead a trade delegation to Korea, one of the region’s largest trading partners.

Mayor Leppert has also pursued a strong education agenda. The Mayor’s Intern Fellows program just completed its second year placing high school students from challenged schools in corporate offices for the summer. Operation Front Door has transformed the curb appeal for several campuses. The Ready to Read pre-literacy program has reached thousands of children and the Mayor’s Chesapeake Energy Scholarships continue to provide financial support for students. Mayor Leppert donates all of his mayoral salary to scholarships.

Mayor Leppert is on the Executive Committee for the US Conference of Mayors, recently served on the White House Fellows Commission and D CEO Magazine named Mayor Leppert the CEO of the year.

Prior to becoming mayor, Leppert led major corporations in the areas of construction, financial services and real estate. As CEO of Turner Construction, he moved the Fortune 500 firm’s headquarters to Dallas. He also was chair of the Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce and still serves on its Executive Committee.

A lifelong community volunteer, he has served numerous community groups and charitable organizations on both the local and national levels. The Mayor served as a White House fellow in both the Treasury Department and in the White House.

Mayor Leppert holds an M.B.A. with Distinction from Harvard Business School and graduated cum laude from Claremont McKenna College.

He and his wife Laura live in Dallas. Their son Christian and twins, Catherine and Ryan are all in college. They are members of Park Cities Baptist Church.