About Ed

There are people you meet in your life that just understand the space they occupy. They are comfortable in the skin they are in and serve as enablers to help other people understand their own life mission.

Ed Fields is one of those people. 

If you talk to people who know Ed they will tell you that he is a level-headed diplomat, creative risk taker and inspirational leader. Like so many of us who lead our own organizations, Ed Fields has spent his career supporting executive directors, boards of directors, and public entities who seek to improve outcomes for civic and community-centric organizations.

Ed spent the first 15 years of his career supporting membership-based organizations, leading boards of directors, producing major events, and serving as an executive administrator at every level in the organizations he has served. 

Ed has also served as a social entrepreneur and business owner, leading Relax, It’s Handled,  a nationally-recognized, award-winning association and event management company.

In 2017, Ed drew on his business and civic experiences to serve as campaign manager for Randall Woodfin’s successful, landmark bid for Mayor of Birmingham, Alabama.   

Ed has served Mayor Woodfin as senior advisor and chief strategist for the City of Birmingham Mayor’s Office where he leads strategic communications, public-private partnerships and actively mentors city leaders. 

A transplant from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Ed received his undergraduate degree in Business Administration from Alabama State University and earned his Masters of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Alabama’s prestigious Manderson School of Business.  He has also received his Institute of Management (IOM) designation, a non-profit management certification, from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. 

Ed is an alum of the Bloomberg-Harvard City Leadership Initiative as well as Harvard’s Young American Leadership Program. He currently serves as chairman of The University of Alabama Culverhouse College of Business African American Alumni Network, a board member for Leadership Birmingham, and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. 

Ed has received numerous awards and accolades, including national recognition from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and INROADS, Inc.  

Ed enjoys hiking, writing, and bowling for recreation. He resides in Birmingham, Alabama with his loving wife, Shyla, and their sons, August and Xander. 

Subcribe to Ed’s Substack newsletter here.

Read his blog, Honestly Ed, here.