Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced two high-level appointments for the City of Atlanta, and the corresponding transition of former Chief Equity Officer Rashad Taylor to her executive staff as Senior Advisor. William L. Hawthorne, III, Esq. has been named Chief Equity Officer and Fatimot Ladipo has been named Director of Intergovernmental Affairs.

“As part of our One Atlanta vision, I am committed to assembling a world-class workforce to deliver the best service to our city and residents,” said Mayor Bottoms. “I am excited that William Hawthorne and Fatimot Ladipo have joined our team and will bring their vast public and private sector expertise to our Administration.”

“I am delighted to have been appointed by Mayor Bottoms to the Chief Equity Officer role,” said William Hawthorne. “I am excited beyond measure to assume a senior leadership role in the Administration that will allow me to help fulfill our vision of One Atlanta—to ensure equitable, open and inclusive practices across all City departments and to make certain all of our residents have the same access to opportunity.”

As Chief Equity Officer, Hawthorne will oversee the team responsible for realizing Mayor Bottoms’ vision for an inclusive Atlanta by defining and operationalizing equity through the City of Atlanta. Prior to his appointment, Hawthorne was CEO and President of New York-based consulting firm D/I Solutions. He previously served as Senior Vice President, Chief Diversity Officer and Vice Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Business Council at Macy’s, Inc.. Before being named Chief Diversity Officer, Hawthorne worked for the Macy’s, Inc. law department and also as a former attorney for the City of Atlanta Solicitor’s Office and trial attorney for the Fulton County District Attorney’s Office. Hawthorne is a graduate of Morehouse College and holds a Doctor of Laws degree from the Emory University School of Law.

As Hawthorne transitions into the Chief Equity Officer role, Taylor, the former lead in that role, will serve as a Senior Advisor to the Mayor.

As Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, Fatimot Ladipo will oversee the City’s state and federal government affairs team along with the City’s legislative team, which represents the Administration before the Atlanta City Council. Ladipo most recently served as Regional Director for External Affairs for AT&T where she was responsible for advancing AT&T’s legislative and regulatory agenda at the local and state level. Prior to joining AT&T, Ladipo was Executive Director of Government Relations for Kennesaw State University (KSU). Ladipo has also served as Assistant Director of federal relations at the Georgia Institute of Technology She has served as the legislative and media liaison for the Georgia Student Finance Commission and as Director of Government Affairs for the Georgia Dental Association. Lapido has also held governmental-relations roles with the Congressional Budget Office, U.S. Department of Commerce, Office of the Lieutenant Governor of the State of Georgia, and the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs of the City of Atlanta. Ladipo holds a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia and a Master of Science from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

“I am excited to join Mayor Bottom’s Executive Office and help advance her legislative agenda for One Atlanta,” said Ladipo.

All positions are effective immediately.