Alyia Gaskins, a tenacious fighter for families, communities, and health equity, is the first African American woman to serve as the Mayor of Alexandria. She was elected in 2024 and is dedicated to building a healthier, more prosperous Alexandria for all.
In Alyia’s first campaign for office in 2021, she was elected to City Council with the second-highest number of votes out of 13 candidates. Alyia’s many accomplishments during her three years on Council include leading the charge and introducing the memos and budget amendments necessary to:
- expand access to affordable housing by increasing dedicated funding by nearly five million dollars.
- support Alexandrians' access to quality job opportunities through prevailing wage and labor agreements.
- give public safety officers the tools—like body-worn cameras—they need to do their jobs while building community trust and accountability.
- expand the availability of early care and education services.
- pass two historic collective bargaining agreements for police and firefighters that make significant increases in employee pay and staffing.
- fund critical infrastructure such as stormwater management and flood mitigation, increased transit options, and broadband expansion.
The same issues that motivate Alyia as an elected official—health, housing, education, public safety, and the economic, social, and physical vitality of cities— have motivated her professional career as a public health strategist and city planner. She has worked on hunger policy at D.C. Hunger Solutions and health issues at the National League of Cities, managed an affordable housing investment program at the Center for Community Investment, and was most recently a Senior Program Officer at the Melville Charitable Trust, a national philanthropic organization devoted to ending homelessness. Currently, Alyia runs her own consulting business, CitiesRX, which focuses on building physical, social, and economic health through community partnerships.
Alyia graduated from Vanderbilt University, where she majored in medicine, health, and society. She earned a master’s degree in public health at the University of Pittsburgh and further honed her policy chops with a master’s in urban planning at Georgetown and a Professional Certificate in Municipal Finance from the University of Chicago.
Alyia has been recognized locally and nationally for her commitment to public service with the following awards: Washington Business Journal 40 Under 40, Alexandria Chamber of Commerce 40 Under 40, National Coalition of 100 Black Women Ebone Image Award, Center for Nonprofit Advancement Phyllis Campbell Public Policy Leadership Award, and Next City Vanguard.
Alyia lives on the West End with her husband, son, daughter, and beagle.
For a list of committees that Mayor Gaskins represents the council on, see here:
ARHA Redevelopment Work Group, Audit & Finance Committee, City Council/School Board Sub-Committee, Health & Safety Coordinating Committee, Landmark Community Development Authority Board of Directors, Legislative Sub-Committee, Children, Youth and Families Collaborative Commission, Commission on Information Technology, Eisenhower Partnership Board of Directors, Visit Alexandria Board of Governors, Council of Governments: Board of Directors, Council of Governments: Public Safety and Human Services Committee, Northern Virginia Transportation Authority: Governing Body, Sub-committee for the Review of Standing Committees, and Sub-committee on Personnel.