Business strategist, former political aide Alice Rolli enters Nashville mayoral race

Alice Rolli, a former aide to Gov. Bill Haslam and campaign manager for Sen. Lamar Alexander, is the latest candidate to enter the race to be Nashville's next mayor.

Rolli announced her campaign Friday, joining a growing list of candidates to launch mayoral runs after sitting Nashville Mayor John Cooper revealed he would not seek a second term.

"This is a campaign about listening to residents across the county and together setting priorities for our city’s next chapter," Rolli said in a statement announcing her mayoral bid.

Her professional experience in business and education strategy spans public and private sectors.

Rolli served as an assistant commissioner of strategy for the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development under Haslam. Her experience with political campaigns includes managing Alexander's successful 2014 U.S. Senate campaign and serving as senior adviser for Randy Boyd's unsuccessful 2018 bid for Tennessee governor.

Rolli tapped former Nashville mayoral candidate David Fox as her campaign treasurer.

Rolli, who identified herself as a Republican on public documents, is currently the vice president of growth at Possip, a Nashville-based software company that provides tools for schools to gather feedback from parents.

A Nashville native, Rolli is a former board member of the Edgehill Village Neighborhood Association. She spearheaded a petition effort to prevent development around Fort Negley in 2017.

She has also served on the board of directors for Nashville Public Radio and the regional board for Teach for America.

She holds a bachelor's degree in international relations from Stanford University and a master's degree in business administration from the University of Virginia's Darden School. She has experience teaching through the Los Angeles Unified School District Intern Program.

May 18 is the qualifying deadline for the Aug. 3 election.

"Listening (to residents), what I hear is that while we will always welcome visitors on Broadway, the worldneeds to know it is the Fisk Jubilee singers who earned us our name and it is the 100+ years ofneighbors caroling for Fannie Battle Day Home that makes us the Music City," she said.

"I hear that while we will make space for new cranes and corporations, our entrepreneurial fabric is strong because of the work of Nashville leaders who overcame long odds to grow Citizens Bank, HavenLock, Thistle Farms, and Delgado Guitars. That for most of us, it’s not about how fast we can build, but about how much we can save. That we are proud of our work - together - saving Radnor Lake, the Ryman, and Fort Negley."

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Nashville mayoral race: Business strategist Alice Rolli announces run