COURTNEY WELCH is an East Bay native, Emeryville Mayor and Councilmember, and proud mother of two. 

In addition to representing residents on the Emeryville City Council, Courtney is a government affairs professional, partnering with organizations focusing on housing advocacy and anti-poverty work. Previously she served as the Director of Policy and Communications with the Bay Area Community Land Trust (BACLT), where she and her team helped create permanently affordable housing through cooperatively run land stewardship projects.

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Prior to BACLT, Courtney was the Continuum of Care Specialist with EveryOne Home, where she played a key role in ensuring the Alameda County Continuum of Care is compliant and operates efficiently and effectively to address homelessness. In 2015, she founded a virtual assistant firm dedicated to assisting minority-owned startups and small businesses with administrative and operations needs. 

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Courtney has a long track record of community service, including serving as an elected Assembly District 15 delegate to the California Democratic Party and as secretary, chair, and political director of the California Young Democrats Black Caucus. Courtney currently serves on the Alameda County Housing and Community Development Advisory Board, the Center for the Vulnerable Child-Children's Hospital Oakland Consumer Advisory Board, the Alameda County ALL IN Coalition, and before her election served on the City of Emeryville Housing Committee. 

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A graduate of Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, Courtney attended the College of Alameda and Hampton University. She resides in the Christie Core neighborhood in Emeryville with her sons Caleb and Cruz.

City Council Committee Appointments

• Community Services Committee

• Budget and Governance Committee 

• Public Safety Committee (2022)

• 2023 Vice Mayor

• 2024 Mayor

Regional Bodies Appointments

• Alameda County Mosquito Abatement District

• Association of Bay Area Governments

• ECCL Governance Committee

• Emeryville / Oakland Joint Planning Authority

• Housing Authority of the County of Alameda Housing Commission

• League of California Cities (Alternate)

• Alameda County Transportation Committee (Alternate to Alameda County Supervisor Keith Carson)

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Community Boards

• Alameda County ALL IN Coalition

• Alameda County Democratic Central Committee (Associate Member)

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Memberships

• Rotary Club of Oakland #3

• Black Elected Officials of The East Bay

  • Vice President of Membership​

• Sierra Club

• Black Women Organized for Political Action (BWOPA)

• CDP African American Caucus

• CDP Women's Caucus

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Awards

• League of Women Voters BAE-Urban League Trailblazing Women Award

• San Francisco Business Times 40 Under 40 (2024)​