Tameka Randle announced Wednesday she is running on the April ballot for the Ward 2 seat being vacated by Shelly Moore on Cape Girardeau City Council.

Moore is not able to seek reelection because of term limits set by the city's charter.

"I want to thank Councilwoman Moore for her service to our community," Randle said in a news release. "It is important that all of Cape Girardeau sees economic prosperity and I hope to be the impetus to bring that to Ward Two."

Randle — who became executive director Oct. 4 of PORCH initiative, a revitalization organization on Cape Girardeau's South Side — is a native of Cleveland and completed her Bachelor of Science in education at Eastern Michigan University.

She came to Cape Girardeau to coach basketball at Southeast Missouri State University while earning a master's in public administration.

Prior to joining PORCH — People Organized to Revitalize Community Healing — she worked at SEMO on a full-time basis.

Initially, Randle served on the university president's taskforce on diversity education and on endowed scholarship committees.

Most recently, Randle was SEMO's assistant director of educational access and outreach programs. In that role, she assisted minority students in achieving the goal of earning a college degree.

Community Service

Randle has served on numerous charitable and civic boards and commissions for the past 20 years.

She is currently president of the board of Gibson Recovery Center and is a member of the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport Advisory Board.

Previously, Randle was president of the board of the Boys and Girls Club of Southeast Missouri and is former president of the Community Caring Council — now known as Community Partnership of Southeast Missouri.

She was also a gubernatorial appointee to the Missouri Community Service Commission.

Other civic engagement

A graduate of Leadership Missouri and Leadership Cape, she was named to the Southeast Missourian's "40 under 40" business professionals list in 2008, won the Zonta Woman of Achievement award in 2013 and was named Woman of the Year by 573 Life & Style magazine, among other accolades.

Willie Redmond will serve as Randle's campaign treasurer and downtown Cape Girardeau business owner Emily Hoehne will serve as campaign chairwoman.