Rita Ali
Rita Ali is an American politician serving as the 47th mayor of Peoria, Illinois since 2021. She was elected on April 21, 2021, finishing just 43 votes ahead of her opponent, councilman Jim Montelongo. Ali was sworn in two weeks later on May 4, becoming both the first woman and the first African American to serve as mayor of Peoria. She has previously served on the Peoria City Council and has held a position as Vice President of Workforce and Diversity at Illinois Central College.
Formative years
Ali is the daughter of Robert and Nora Bryant. She has an older sister, Robin, and younger brother, Robert. She spent her early years in Hannibal, Missouri, and subsequently relocated with her family to Peoria, Illinois during 1964, when she was six years old.Ali was a 1976 graduate of Manual High School. A single parent following her graduation, she began her college education at Bradley University with the help of a full-tuition scholarship, and attended classes there for two years until financial circumstances forced her to temporarily leave school to work full time. Thirty years later, she was a doctoral candidate in organization and management at Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 2006, having previously earned her bachelor's degree in human services management from the University of Illinois Springfield and her master's degree in education administration from Bradley University.
As Rita Bryant, she met her future husband, Bashir Ali, while they were both employed by the City of Peoria's Central Illinois Private Industry Council. She and Ali were married on May 6, 1996, and have four daughters and nine grandchildren. Bashir Ali has been the director of workforce development for the City of Peoria since 1987.