Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announces the establishment of the first-ever Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, known as One Atlanta.

During her inaugural State of the City address, Mayor Bottoms shared her vision of Atlanta, and laid out an agenda to make Atlanta a more equitable city so that all residents have the same access to opportunity.

“My administration is committed to working towards a more affordable, resilient and equitable city. That’s why I’m proud to announce the establishment of the city’s first-ever fully staffed Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Also known as One Atlanta, this office is charged to ensure equitable, open and inclusive practices across all city departments and functions,” said Mayor Bottoms. “This office will also shine light on our forgotten communities and build a bridge towards greater inclusiveness across the entire city.”

The Mayor’s agenda for One Atlanta centers around five Citywide goals:

·         A safe and welcoming city;

·         World-class employees, infrastructure and services;

·         An ethical, transparent, and fiscally responsible government;

·         Thriving neighborhoods, communities, and businesses; and

·         Residents who are equipped for success.

Driving that agenda, through both policy and stakeholder engagement is the newly-established Mayor’s Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

In its first year, One Atlanta will review and guide the City’s policies and practices impacting eight critical areas:

·         Affordable Housing

·         Criminal Justice Reform

·         Economic Development

·         Health Disparities

·         Homelessness

·         LGBTQ Affairs

·         Workforce Development

·         2020 Census: ATL Counts

One Atlanta is charged with ensuring more equitable access to economic and workforce development opportunities across the city, launching a community engagement strategy, galvanizing corporate and philanthropic resources across the region, establishing an Equity Impact Assessment and developing Equity Champions across citywide departments.

Additionally, the office is focused on supporting the Mayor’s progressive agenda while also working to strengthen the impact and broaden the reach of the City’s criminal justice reform efforts including expansion of the Pre-Arrest Diversion Program and increasing resources for the Office of the Public Defender.

The office is led by Rashad Taylor, Chief Equity Officer and Counselor to the Mayor.

One Atlanta is also fully staffed with experienced community and policy leaders, each of whom support a specific function of the Mayor’s One Atlanta agenda. To date, One Atlanta staff members include Reese McCranie (Deputy Chief Equity Officer); Megan Sparks (Senior Director of Programs and External Affairs); Kelly S. Beaty (Director of Strategic Engagement); Sharon Hixon (Director of Data and Analytics); Derrick Rice (Director, Community Engagement); Malik Brown (Coordinator, LGBTQ Affairs); Carol Anderson (Manager, Special Projects); and Javier Brown (Executive Assistant/Legislative Manager).

The One Atlanta office is located inside City Hall.