El-Mahdi Holly, MPA, a noted strategist and organizer, has contributed his talents to both capital campaigns and to political campaigns at the national, state and local levels.

El-Mahdi's fundraising abilities and field strategy expertise have helped secure victories for candidates including US President Barack Obama, New Jersey Senator Cory Booker, and several county & city government officials across the United States.  

He managed field operations for the Georgia House Democratic Caucus under the direction of House Minority Leader Stacey Abrams, where his direct efforts helped secure Henry County's first Democratic majority in over 30 years.  He was subsequently selected during the 2016 Hillary for America presidential election cycle as Regional Field Director for the Democratic Party of Georgia, whereby El-Mahdi managed field operations for 26 Middle Georgia and South & Southeast Metropolitan Atlanta counties. 

A Bertram & Corella Bonner Foundation Scholar, and recipient of the National Youth Service Award (as conferred to him by US President Bill Clinton), it was on the campus of Morehouse College that a young El-Mahdi connected with his desire to help underserved communities.  Upon receipt of his Bachelors degree, he pursued his graduate studies at the University of West Georgia, earning a Masters in Public Administration with a specialty concentration in strategic management and planning of public service organizations.  

Professionally, El-Mahdi delved deeper into staff and administrator roles in the nonprofit sector , developing cultural and community enrichment programming in the metropolitan Atlanta area, as well as becoming co-owner of HappYLifestyles, a cosmopolitan-lifestyle marketing company.  His clients have included Alliance Française d'Atlanta, Georgia Institute of Technology, Keller Williams Realty, as well as C-suite level executives.

Cultivating his talent for advising officials following years of service as a senior law clerk for Atlanta judiciary, El-Mahdi is committed to ensuring clients are kept abreast of key concerns, and provided an array of scalable options through which to satisfy the demands of the day.

Aside from principally directing programs at UPLIFT Strategies, El-Mahdi enjoys serving as Corporate Engagement Director for the Morehouse College Atlanta Alumni Association, and Our Revolution, and as the appointed Chairman of the Field Operations Committee of the Henry County Democratic Party.  

Elected in 2018, El-Mahdi flipped a Georgia House seat by almost 20 points to become the 1st African-American State Representative for District 111, then-the central district of Henry County’s legislative delegation.