Biography

From Army accountant to community champion, Jefferson County District Two Commissioner Sheila Tyson's story isn't your typical political tale. Born and raised in Birmingham, she traded balance sheets for ballot boxes, transforming herself from a business accountant into one of Alabama's most dynamic community leaders.

Her defining moment? The 2008 presidential election, when she took on a challenge that would make most people's heads spin. The state had just purged 9,000 ex-felons from voting rolls, creating a mess of confusion about who could and couldn't vote. Instead of shrugging it off, Tyson rolled up her sleeves. She marched into local jails, registration forms in hand, and did something remarkable: she helped 500 eligible inmates exercise their right to vote. Every single one of them cast a ballot – a small number that represented an enormous victory for democracy.

But Tyson wasn't done reshaping Jefferson County's landscape. She's the kind of leader who sees problems others ignore. When she noticed kids having too easy access to alcohol displays, she changed the law. When communities needed fresh food, she didn't just talk about it – she helped create eight community gardens in West End. She fought to keep Cooper Green Mercy Hospital's doors open and tackled the unglamorous but crucial issue of rising sewer rates. And while others might call it a day, she's still out there, making sure Birmingham's hungry get three squares a day.

Her trophy shelf tells quite a story – from the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Keeper of the Dream Award to recognition from the NAACP and SCLC. But what's more impressive is what these awards represent: decades of rolling up her sleeves and diving into the messy work of community building. Whether she's leading walking teams across 99 communities or sharing Birmingham's success stories through webinars watched in 27 states, Tyson brings an accountant's precision and a community organizer's heart to everything she touches.

In 2017, she took her community-building expertise international, traveling to Kenya to work with women in politics. It's fitting– after all, Tyson's story is about breaking boundaries and building bridges, whether they're across neighborhoods or continents. She's proof that real change doesn't always come from grand gestures, but from showing up day afterday, fighting the small battles that add up to transformation.  She returned to for another mission trip in2021.

 
You'll still find Commissioner Tyson working overtime, not because she must, but because she believes Alabama's best days are still ahead. In a world of political sound bites and empty promises, she's the rare leader who measures success not in headlines, but in lives changed, communities strengthened, and hope restored.

Commissioner Tyson is currently enrolled at Miles College and has completed several executive leadership classes from Harvard’s Kennedy School Center for Public Leadership.

Contact Information:
Jefferson County Commission
Jefferson County Courthouse
716 Richard Arrington Jr Blvd North - Suite 250
Birmingham, AL 35203
Phone: (205) 325-5074
Fax: (205) 325-4878
E-mail: tysons@jccal.org