Politics / Religion
Mary Sheffield
born 1987 · politician, pastor, mayor of Detroit
West Side native, pastor's daughter and youngest-ever council president who in 2025 became the first woman elected mayor of Detroit, taking office in January 2026.
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Mary Sheffield grew up on Detroit's west side, the daughter of civil rights activist Horace Sheffield III, pastor of New Destiny Christian Fellowship Church, where she later became co-pastor. She earned a bachelor's degree in public affairs at Wayne State University in 2008 and a master's in public administration at Central Michigan University, and worked as a disciplinary hearing officer in the Wayne County jail system after Sheriff Benny Napoleon recruited her. After losing a 2010 state House primary, she won the District 5 City Council seat in 2013 at 26, the youngest council member in the city's history. Re-elected in 2017 and 2021, she became council president in 2022, again the youngest ever. When Mayor Mike Duggan chose not to run again, she entered the 2025 race promising more investment in underserved neighborhoods, finished first in the primary and defeated pastor Solomon Kinloch Jr. in November. She was sworn in on January 1, 2026, as Detroit's first woman mayor.
Highlights
- 76th mayor of Detroit, from January 1, 2026
- First woman elected mayor of Detroit (2025)
- Youngest Detroit City Council member ever (elected 2013, aged 26)
- Youngest president of the Detroit City Council (2022–2025)
02 / Their Detroit places
Their Detroit places 2
Where they lived, worked, performed and liked to hang out. Closed and demolished places stay here too, because they are part of the city's history.
Worked here · 2014–
The Spirit of Detroit
Seat of the City Council, where she served from 2014, and of the mayor's office she took over in 2026.
Studied here · 2000s–2008
Wayne State University
She earned her bachelor's degree in public affairs here in 2008.