TIME named Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker to the 2022 TIME100 Next list.
An expansion of the TIME100 list of the most influential people in the world, TIME100 Next highlights 100 emerging leaders who are shaping the future of business, entertainment, sports, politics, health, science, activism and more. The full list and related tributes appear in the Oct. 10/Oct. 17 issue of TIME, available on newsstands on Friday, Sept. 30, and now online.
“It is an absolute honor to represent Fort Worth on the TIME100 Next list. The way we come together to find solutions in this city sets us apart, and people are taking notice. Thank you to TIME for including me and to Congresswoman Granger for the kind words,” Parker said.
U.S. Rep. Kay Granger wrote the introduction to Parker for the list:
“Public service means leaving things better than we found them. In 1991, I blazed a trail as the first female mayor of Fort Worth. Today, Mattie Parker leads the nation's 13th largest city.
In the six years Mattie served on my congressional staff, she completed law school, had her first son and adopted her daughter. It was clear then that she was a force. Besides serving next as chief of staff to the former mayor, she started a nonprofit to help students thrive.
Now mayor at 38, she builds consensus for a safer and stronger Fort Worth, nurtures thriving families (including her own), and fosters quality of life in every ZIP code.
I wrote a book called What's Right About America, on our founding leaders. Today, what's right about America are next-generation leaders like Mattie, who learn from diversity, do the hard work of good governance, and carry the torch.”
