Architecture alumna elected mayor of Salisbury

UNC Charlotte alumna Karen Kirks Alexander was elected mayor of Salisbury on Tuesday, Dec. 1, by the Salisbury City Council, to which Alexander was elected in November. Alexander, who serves on the UNC Charlotte Foundation Board of Directors, is founder and president of KKA Architecture in Salisbury.

A past president of the Charlotte chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Alexander earned a Master of Architecture from the University in 1997.

She received the AIA-Charlotte Honor Design Award and AIA-Charlotte Merit Award for Sustainable Design for the Center for the Environment building at Catawba College, which is the subject of the UNC-TV documentary, “Environmental Partners: Designing a Sustainable Future.” She also received the Gertrude Carraway Award from the Historic Preservation Foundation of North Carolina for her historical preservation work in Salisbury.

Salisbury City Council members are publicly elected every two years. The five-member council then votes to elect a mayor from its ranks.