Entrepreneur and philanthropist Tanveer Patel officially launched her campaign for Hoover City Council, Place 1, yesterday. Curt Posey currently holds the seat.
Patel's forward-facing campaign got off to a rocky start when her scheduled Facebook Live event failed. Instead, she released a straight-to-camera video welcoming viewers to her home. "Hoover is my home. I've been in Hoover the past 23 years," she said as she laid out her vision for the city.
In the video, she pointed out a phrase echoed on her campaign website, launch video and biographical video posted to her website: "I live by the phrase, which means to serve the Creator by serving its creation."
She went on to paraphrase Esther 4:14, saying she felt she'd been called for such a time as this. Her website notes that her priorities include increasing business-to-business mentorship, making Hoover generational, increasing economic development, improving our education system and creating student jobs.
A profile on Patel in 2018 echoed a familiar refrain for working mothers, stating "[her] own career objectives took a back seat to her role as wife and mother. She then spent a few years working in Corporate America until she was bitten by the proverbial Entrepreneur's Bug."
The profile noted, "At the age of 19, Tanveer Patel met her husband, Maqbool, 10 days before their wedding. Two weeks later, the native of Bangalore (a coastal city in the tropical region of India) found herself in Philadelphia — where, according to Weather Underground's archives, the temperature was 34°, and it was raining. It was hardly the kind of sunny start she may have hoped for, but downright balmy compared to their next two stops — namely, Minneapolis and Milwaukee.
"Today, Patel confesses that even Birmingham winters are well outside her comfort zone. At the same time, she'll tell you, "Every move Maqbool and I made improved our lives. They've all been positive." After subsequent stops in Chicago and (for nine months) their native India—part of his continued climb up GE's corporate ladder—Maqbool accepted an offer to join Birmingham startup Emageon as VP of Technology."
According to her website, Tanveer4Hoover.com, "Patel's dedication to Hoover extends beyond business. She serves on the boards of the Society of International Business Fellows, the Birmingham Committee on Foreign Relations, and the FBI Citizens Academy Alumni Association, where she promotes civic engagement and community partnerships. As a mentor and judge for Alabama Launchpad, she has guided countless entrepreneurs in building successful businesses."
Her site notes, "Patel is inspired by her family, including her two IT-professional sons, her physician daughter-in-law, and her beloved grandchildren. She credits her entrepreneurial spirit to her father, who taught her to "sit at the head of the table," and her success to the steadfast support of her husband, her mentor, and best friend."
The non-partisan election will be held on August 26.
Apryl Marie Fogel is a Birmingham resident who frequently appears on and guest hosts radio programs around the state. She can be reached at aprylmarie.fogel@1819news.com or on X and Facebook at @aprylmarie.
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