Mayor Andre Dickens announced the creation of a new team to lead implementation of the Mayor’s policy agenda under the leadership of Senior Advisor to the Mayor and Chief Policy Officer, Courtney English. Approved by the Atlanta City Council, the Chief Policy Officer’s new office will utilize its unique position within City government to swiftly, strategically and proactively address Atlanta’s most pressing equity challenges—including affordable housing, youth development, education, economic mobility and neighborhood empowerment.

“Too many families in Atlanta are grappling with economic, housing, transit and other inequities and we know that business as usual will not work. However, if we work together creatively across traditional boundaries and sectors, we can make Atlanta the best place in the country to raise a family and to pursue your dreams—regardless of who you are or where you come from,” said Mayor Andre Dickens.“This is why I am establishing this new team. They are empowered to hit the ground running with my broad mandate to swiftly and creatively pursue strategies that will have a positive impact on the day-to-day lived experience of residents in every Atlanta community.”

Last November, census data again showed that Atlanta has the highest rates of income inequality in the country. The new office of the Chief Policy Officer will help ensure that every Atlanta resident can thrive by attacking entrenched racial and socioeconomic equity gaps at their roots. The formation of this team will for the first time break down traditional organizational silos to marshal these efforts within a single more nimble, collaborative structure devoted to achieving the administration’s most critical goals.

“Throughout his past year in office, Mayor Dickens has stressed the importance of reorganizing government to pursue innovative, cross-sectoral solutions to the most pressing challenges facing our residents. We can only achieve our goals if we are willing to break down broken systems and build new solutions together,” said Chief Policy Officer Courtney English. “The creation of this new policy team signals the Mayor’s commitment to putting these structural changes into practice, and I am honored to lead this new team.”

The office will be bolstered by a team of experienced, senior City officials tasked with implementing the Mayor’s policy agenda in key focus areas. The advisors bring subject matter expertise, a proven track record and a spirit of innovation to the administration. The five advisors are:

Janean Lewis, Policy Advisor for Youth Development and Education
David Edwards, Policy Advisor for Neighborhoods
Joshua Humphries, Policy Advisor for Housing
Megan Sparks, Policy Advisor for Strategic Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives
Dr. Jodi Merriday, Ombudsman of Neighborhoods
Other key staff joining the team are Andrey Grey, Kristel Escobar, Chanel Zeisel, Matthew Bedsole, Chatiqua Ellison, Will Tucker, Wesley Myrick, and Naseem Keshmirian.

Initial key objectives and initiatives of the Mayor’s new policy team will include:

Affordable Housing – Housing is fundamental to building thriving neighborhoods and ensuring a high quality of life for every resident. Mayor Dickens has set an ambitious goal to build or preserve 20,000 affordable housing units by 2030. This team will oversee efforts to reach this goal, including coordination of the Mayor’s multiagency Housing Strike force, the implementation of new Faith-Based Development Initiative (FBDI), and the launch of the Mayor’s effort to address substandard housing throughout the city and make quality housing accessible to all Atlantans.

Neighborhood Empowerment – A central strategic imperative of Mayor Dickens’ administration is ensuring that every Atlanta neighborhood is safe, healthy, thriving, and truly accessible to residents. This team will engage neighborhood leaders and oversee the Mayor’s neighborhood revitalization work, facilitating the development and implementation of multistakeholder, action-oriented transformation plans for the most distressed and historically disinvested areas of the city, starting with the Hollowell corridor, Campbellton corridor, Downtown, and Thomasville Heights neighborhoods.

Youth Development and Education – By 2030, the Mayor intends to make Atlanta the best city in the country to raise a child. This team leads the administration’s efforts to reach this goal, uniting departments, agencies, school systems, and nonprofit, philanthropic, and private partners to build more meaningful opportunities for every child in Atlanta by focusing on all elements of a young person’s experience. This work has included the Mayor’s pledge to invest $20 million in early childhood education, the new $1 million Youth Development Grants, and the Summer Youth Employment Program. The team also leads Mayor Dickens’ signature initiative, the 2023 Year of the Youth.

Strategic Partnerships and Strategic Initiatives – Achieving the Mayor’s bold goals will require unprecedented partnership and investment across all sectors and industries. This team oversees the Mayor’s efforts to streamline and amplify cross-sector, multistakeholder strategic partnerships and initiatives across his highest priorities, including neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing, youth development and education, violence reduction and peacebuilding initiatives, community town halls, and more. This team’s creation signals the Mayor’s commitment to ensuring that that the City has the expertise, staffing, and structures in place build truly transformative philanthropic partnerships. Additionally, the team will lead cross-functional, cross-sectoral strategic initiatives as they develop.