Ranae Bartlett recognized as 2026 Woman of Impact

Ranae Bartlett, the first Asian American mayor in Alabama, has been recognized as a 2026 Woman of Impact. Her leadership philosophy is rooted in a desire to solve community problems rather than focusing on personal milestones.

Bartlett's background is defined by her parents' emphasis on education. Her father, a sharecropper's son from Texas, and her mother, who grew up in South Korea, both prioritized educational opportunities they were not afforded themselves. Bartlett became the first in her family to graduate from high school, college, and law school.

Her professional career includes clerking for the chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, serving as corporate counsel for Walmart, and working as a federal judicial law clerk after moving to Alabama in 2003. Before her current role, she served nearly a decade on the Madison City Schools Board of Education and five years on the Madison City Council.