Mayor Kasim Reed announced today that Mario Cambardella has been named Urban Agriculture Director and will join the administration on December 3, 2015. His appointment, a first for the City of Atlanta, will support Atlanta’s efforts to become a top tier city in the U.S. for sustainability.

In his role, Cambardella will be responsible for a wide range of activities related to urban agriculture, including policy development and facilitating the conversion of brownfields into urban gardens.

“We are pleased to have Mario Cambardella join the City of Atlanta as the Urban Agriculture Director,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “With strong collaborative partners like Georgia Organics, the Atlanta Local Food Initiative, Food Well Alliance, the Atlanta Community Food Bank and the Atlanta Beltline, Inc., this position will be integral to making continued progress in growing Atlanta’s urban agricultural community.”

Cambardella currently serves as co-founder and CEO of Urban Agriculture, a firm that provides planning, design and construction management of food-producing landscapes for commercial, municipal and residential clients.

“Cambardella’s appointment is a critical component to helping us realize our Power to Change sustainability initiative goals, which aims to bring local, healthy food within a half-mile of 75 percent of all Atlanta residents by year 2020.” said Stephanie Stuckey Benfield, Director of the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability.

Cambardella holds dual Masters Degrees in Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning and Design, and a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, from the University of Georgia.