About Mayor Battle

THE HONORABLE THOMAS “TOMMY” M. BATTLE, JR.

Mayor of the City of Huntsville

Now serving his fifth term as Mayor of Huntsville, Tommy Battle has led the city through a period of extraordinary growth and transformation, strengthening its position as a national center for aerospace, defense, technology, advanced manufacturing and scientific innovation.

Since taking office in 2008, Mayor Battle has focused on creating jobs, diversifying Huntsville’s economy and investing in the infrastructure and quality of life necessary to sustain long-term growth. Working collaboratively with regional, state and federal partners, he has helped build an economic development strategy centered on Huntsville’s greatest asset – its people and their remarkable capacity for innovation.

Today, Huntsville is home to a powerful concentration of federal agencies, research institutions and technology companies anchored by Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. The selection of Redstone Arsenal as the permanent headquarters of U.S. Space Command, continued expansion of the FBI’s presence on Redstone, and growth across the aerospace and defense sectors have further established Huntsville as one of the nation’s most important centers for space, defense and national security technologies.

At the same time, Mayor Battle has made economic diversification a cornerstone of his administration. While aerospace and defense remain foundational to Huntsville’s economy, the city has developed significant strengths in advanced manufacturing, life sciences and biotechnology. Toyota Alabama and Mazda Toyota Manufacturing anchor a growing automotive and manufacturing sector, while HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Eli Lilly and Glaukos are expanding Huntsville’s presence in the life sciences. Together with continued growth in engineering, cyber and emerging technologies, these industries have created a broader, more resilient economy and new opportunities for the region.

Mayor Battle believes Huntsville’s continued success is rooted in its ability to think strategically for the long term and to ensure that quality of life keeps pace with economic growth. Under his leadership, the City has made major investments in parks, greenways, trails, recreation, public spaces and other community amenities, while expanding transportation infrastructure and planning for future growth. Huntsville has also elevated arts and culture as part of its economic and quality-of-life strategy, establishing one of the nation’s first municipal music offices and building a thriving music ecosystem that has gained national attention.

A champion of teamwork, Battle strives to work collaboratively with leadership and citizens. Through the Mayor’s fiscally conservative leadership, the City has maintained a balanced budget and earned triple-A credit ratings from two leading rating agencies every year since 2009. Triple A credit is a distinction held by a small percentage of municipalities in the U.S. As a result, Huntsville is in an enviable position of stability and growth that has earned it global attention.

Born in Birmingham in 1955, Mayor Battle moved to Huntsville in 1980 after receiving a business degree from The University of Alabama. Four years later, he was elected to the Huntsville City Council, where he served as Finance Chair. His successful career as an entrepreneur and businessman, along with nearly 30 years of community service, effectively prepared him for the demanding role as the City’s chief executive officer, recruiter, and champion of Huntsville’s future.

Mayor Battle was married for more than three decades to the late Eula Sammons Battle, a kindergarten teacher and co-founder of Free 2 Teach. In August 2026, Mayor Battle married Jo Lynn Burks, a former music instructor at Belmont University. He has one son, Drew, daughter-in-law, Lauren, and two grandsons, George and Benjamin.