As Birmingham’s youngest City Attorney, and just the second woman of color to ever hold the position, Nicole King is a force for good in Alabama. She’s also a proud alumna of our 18th Executive Class in Birmingham.
“When I was elected as Birmingham’s mayor, one of my first decisions was selecting Nicole King as the new City Attorney. I knew she would be a highly skilled leader, but even I didn’t anticipate how much impact she would have in this role,” Mayor Randall Woodfin said of Nicole’s leadership.
A couple of years into leading the city’s legal team, she learned about Momentum.
“I had the wonderful opportunity to hear from a dynamic speaker who really honed in on the importance of professional development for women. That speaker was April Benetollo. From that one luncheon, one discussion, I was given a new lens and different viewpoint in which to further explore leadership growth,” Nicole shared.
That interaction was all it took for Nicole to realize she wanted to apply to be in Momentum’s next executive leadership class. Her involvement in Momentum came at a quite challenging time – the fall of 2020, into spring of 2021.
“It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.”
Nicole not only serves the entire city of Birmingham – she also leads a 45-person team as a member of the city’s executive leadership team. The scope of her department’s work includes all things from criminal affairs to legal counsel across all departments, real estate transactions, lawsuits, and contracts across the city’s 99 neighborhoods. It’s no exaggeration to say that her leadership affects the lives of thousands of Birmingham city residents each day.
She shared that during her time in Momentum, receiving feedback on her emotional and social competencies was very impactful for her. This new opportunity to reflect on perspectives from those around her allowed her to learn skills to enhance self-management, her adaptability, and how she communicates with clients.
“The strengths session and assessment also taught me how to give grace to myself and recognize that my strengths not only build power, but they also empower others.”
During and after her time in Momentum’s executive program, Nicole also recognized the profound impact expanded programs and resources could have on more of Birmingham’s women.
“Momentum recognizes the needs of the underserved in the Birmingham community as well as the needs of the business community and through its vision, has made top-tier leadership growth and mentorship opportunities available to those who otherwise would not be able to benefit from these services. Any time an organization such as Momentum seeks to pool resources together to help the playing field become more equitable and diverse, it becomes a community asset.”
Since graduating from Momentum’s executive program, Nicole was appointed to a second term as City Attorney and has been recognized by the Birmingham Business Journal as one of Birmingham’s Top Women in 2022 and Who’s Who in Law 2023. She was named to Momentum’s Board of Directors and the 2024 Luminary Women initiative, all while continuing to deliver impactful work every day for city of Birmingham.
Learn more about Momentum:
Explore our Birmingham Executive Leadership Program by clicking here. You can also find other stories and impactful outcomes in our recently released economic impact report here.
