By Barry Wise Smith
Using running analogies in a story about Jennifer Andress is a no-brainer. Andress is an accomplished runner who has completed 10 marathons and dozens of other shorter races, logging more miles on her feet than some people do in their cars.
But her latest race wasn’t of the actual running variety but rather the political type when she ran for Homewood mayor and won the election in a landslide, making her Homewood’s first female mayor.
This isn’t Andress’ first political rodeo though, having served as one of Homewood’s Ward 5 Councilors for the past nine years. Elected to the council in 2016, Andress has been a staunch advocate for connectivity, walkability, regional collaboration and open communication and has established herself as a respected public servant.
The Beginning
A Texas native, Andress first dipped her toe into politics as a student at The University of Texas Austin when she ran for Student Government representative (another race she won big). After completing her term, Andress briefly considered staying on at Texas for a fifth year to run as Student Government President but changed her mind, taking a sales job that moved her to Atlanta.
In Atlanta, Andress started her community service journey by volunteering with Hands on Atlanta, an organization that connects volunteers with nonprofit organizations and schools in need. She also rediscovered her love for running (Andress ran cross country in high school but hadn’t run much while at Texas). After a brief move to Baltimore, in 1995, Andress’ sales job with Johnson & Johnson brought her to Birmingham, where she was born and still had family.
In 2002, Andress married her husband Keith, an attorney. Keith already lived in Homewood, so when they married, they decided to stay in the city but moved to a house in the Hollywood neighborhood, where they still live today. “I always loved Hollywood and still do,” Andress says. “I love walking those streets, and the hills and homes and the kids and the dogs. I just love it so much.”
Very soon after that, Andress had her two sons—John in 2003 and Will in 2004—who were both diagnosed with hearing loss. Right before Will’s birth, Andress was diagnosed with breast cancer and had surgery and went through treatment after he was born. Andress quit her sales job and decided to stay at home, but all along, Andress stayed civically active, volunteering at the Woolley Institute for Spoken-Language Education (then called the Alabama School of Hearing) where her son Will was in the inaugural class in 2009, serving as the PTO President at Shades Cahaba Elementary School and as the Birmingham Track Club (BTC) President.
Next Steps
As BTC President, Andress became interested in community connectivity, specifically a pedestrian bridge that would connect Homewood and Mountain Brook over Highway 280. This idea inspired her to run for the Homewood City Council in 2016, a race she won, and Andress has been serving ever since.
During her tenure on the City Council, Andress chaired the Planning & Development Committee and served as the council liaison on the Planning Commission, serves on the Jefferson County Greenway’s commission (is a past chair) and was an early member and past chair of JC3—the Jefferson County Councilors Coalition—which has members from councils around the metro area who work together to advance regional cooperation. Andress also works as the External Affairs and Special Projects Director for Freshwater Land Trust, a day job that keeps her inextricably tied to her favorite topic of connectivity.
“Connectivity really is the secret sauce that makes communities special,” Andress says. “I’m so proud that during my time on Council, we were able to open the second phase of the Shades Creek Greenway, and there’s more to come!” The most recent trail count on the Greenway counted 135,000 annual users.
Winning the Race
In May, Andress went to Washington DC with other local elected officials, “and that really sealed the deal on my decision to run,” Andress says. “I still felt like I had work to do, and I love the people I work with—I love our department heads and our staff.” With so many projects underway and on the horizon that she felt passionate about and wanted to see through, Andress decided to throw her hat into the ring for the 2025 mayor’s race. On election day, it was a decisive victory, and Andress will take office on November 3rd.
As Homewood changes to a new form of government, Andress will serve as mayor but also as a voting member of the council and Council President. When asked about her goals as mayor, Andress answers quickly, “I want to be visible and accessible to people and take my ward newsletter to the entire city. I want people to see me in the community.” Andress has gotten an early start, taking in the Homewood High School Homecoming Parade and making plans to attend the Rose Parade in January where the HHS band will perform.
And what does it mean to be the first female mayor? “It’s amazing to think about. I am very excited about the next four years!”
