The City of Atlanta announced that Deputy Chief Operating Officer William Johnson has been appointed Commissioner of the Department of Public Works. Johnson has served as the Interim Commissioner of the Department since the departure of former Commissioner, Richard Mendoza. Johnson was confirmed unanimously by the City Utilities Committee yesterday.

“I am pleased to appoint William Johnson as Public Works Commissioner,” said Mayor Kasim Reed. “I am confident that his leadership and operating experience in the public and private sectors will enhance the Department’s focus on operational efficiency and customer service. With more than 20 years of experience in infrastructure management and emergency response, I believe he is uniquely qualified to serve in this new capacity.”

William Johnson joined the Reed Administration as Deputy Chief Operating Officer in May of last year. Johnson brings more than 20 years of experience in infrastructure management and emergency response to the position. He previously served as the Director of the Department of Transportation for the City of Baltimore, where he managed engineering and permitting services for the City. He also managed city-wide snow and weather emergency operations.

Prior to his service in Baltimore, Johnson held a key leadership role as Prime Contractor to the State of Florida Department of Transportation. In this role, he assisted local governments and private non-profits in developing disaster plans, performing damage assessments and developing projects and funding sources for public facilities, infrastructure and utilities damaged by natural disasters.

Throughout his career, Johnson has developed and managed budgets in excess of $400 million, managed organizations of over 2,300 employees, managed municipal waste collection operations for a population of 1.5 million, reduced customer complaints to achieve a 96 percent customer satisfaction rate, and assisted with reverse osmosis/carbon filter tertiary and secondary treatment facility upgrades.

Johnson holds an M.S. in Geological Engineering from the University of Missouri and a bachelor's in Engineering from the University of Mississippi.