Vi Lyles

Born Name: Viola Alexander
Date of Birth: September 28, 1952
Place of Birth: Columbia, South Carolina, United States
Political party: Democratic
Spouse(s): John Lyles (m. 1996; died 2013)
Children: 4 (included Kwame Alexander, Aisha Alexander)
Education: Queens University (BA)
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (MPA)
Parents: Mary Clarkson Taylor, Robert L. Taylor, Sr.

Viola Alexander Lyles (born September 28, 1952) is an American politician serving as the 59th mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina, since 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Lyles was a member of the Charlotte City Council before taking office as mayor.

Early life and education
Lyles was raised in Columbia, South Carolina. Her father owned his own construction company and her mother worked as a teacher. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in political science from Queens University of Charlotte and a Master of Public Administration from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Career
Lyles worked for the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, as a budget analyst, budget director, and assistant city manager. Starting in 2004, she worked as a consulting director for the Lee Institute and then for Flynn Heath Holt Leadership. She was the community outreach director for the 2012 Democratic National Convention.

Lyles was elected to the Charlotte City Council in 2013, and was elected mayor pro-tem in 2015. Following the shooting of Keith Lamont Scott in September 2016, she proposed a seven-point plan to reduce racial and class divisions in the city, parts of which were approved by the council.

Lyles ran for mayor of Charlotte in the 2017 election. She defeated Jennifer Roberts, the incumbent mayor, in the Democratic Party primary election in September 2017 and defeated Kenny Smith, a Republican member of the city council, in the November general election. She is the first African-American female mayor of the city, and also its first former city administrator to serve as mayor.

Personal life
Lyles was married to John Lyles for 17 years prior to his death in 2013. Lyles has two children, Kwame and Aisha Alexander, as well as two stepchildren, Sean and John Lyles, Jr. She lives in the SouthPark neighborhood in Charlotte.