Lunch With Mayor Keith James

Please join us for a Lunch With meetup, a (virtual) meal with a classmate.

A graduate of both the College and the Law School, Keith James was elected mayor of the City of West Palm Beach in March 2019 and was re-elected—unopposed—to a second four-year term in 2023.

October 21, 2025, 1:00 pm Eastern time

We'll meet via Zoom. Bring your questions and a sandwich!

Keith is the city’s first Black "strong mayor," meaning he is West Palm Beach’s chief executive officer, directing the city’s administrative structure. He’s also the city's fourth Black Mayor.

Focused on creating a “Community of Opportunity for All,” Keith espouses a vision for West Palm Beach that is resident driven and prioritizes neighborhood initiatives, regional collaboration, and community partnerships. He’s also championed bringing new financial business to the city, which the NY Post has labeled “Wall Street South.”

Prior to serving as mayor, Keith was a city commissioner from 2011 to 2019. In that time he helped create West Palm Beach's strategic plan, finance plan, water plan, and mobility plan.

Keith is the past president of the Palm Beach County League of Cities, where he championed a collaborative approach to solving regional and state issues on equality, home-rule, health and addiction challenges, and transportation. He’s also the former chair of the West Palm Beach Citizens' Ethics Task Force and a former board member of the Florida League of Cities and Palm Beach County League of Cities. Keith and his wife have lived in West Palm Beach for more than 30 years.

CA79's Lunch With series allows us to learn more about a classmate we might know a little—or not at all.

Questions about our programs? Write to us at classacthr79@gmail.com.