Prof. Dr. Diana Pretzell

Since 2023 Prof. Dr. Diana Pretzell is the First Mayor of the City of Mannheim, responsible for Citizens' Service, Environment and Technical Operations. In 2021, she was already elected as Mayor for Environment.

During her term of office, Mannheim became part of the EU mission “100 climate-neutral and smart cities by 2030” and was the first German city to receive the EU mission label for the successful creation of a Climate City Contract. Since her time in office, Prof. Dr. Pretzell has been able to launch numerous other ambitious strategies, such as a heat action plan and an extensive municipal heat planning. Mrs. Pretzell also supervises the Local Green Deal, which has already been able to initiate 300 successful deals with companies in Mannheim. 

Mrs. Pretzell holds a PhD from the University of Freiburg and a university degree in Forestry and Journalism. In 2017, she was appointed honorary professor at the University of Applied Sciences in Eberswalde. From 2015 to 2021 she was part of the German UNESCO Committee Man and the Biosphere.