Mayor Kasim Reed announced that John R. Seydel III, has been appointed as the new Director of the Office of Sustainability. Seydel is an environmental advocate and recently served as the CEO of the Revolution Nation, an organization which aims to connect millennials to their elected representatives. Seydel will lead the City of Atlanta’s sustainability efforts as former Director Stephanie Stuckey Benfield transitions into her new role as the City of Atlanta’s Chief Resilience Officer.
 
“I am excited to have another leader in my office who is passionate about furthering our goals, and who is committed to ensuring that the City of Atlanta remains one of the world’s leading cities for sustainability,” said Mayor Reed. “I believe young leaders like John Seydel bring energy, excitement and a new perspective to public service.”
 
Seydel will be responsible for working across departments within the City of Atlanta, as well as with external partners in the nonprofit, business, community and academic sectors to achieve Atlanta’s environmental, sustainability and urban agriculture goals.
 
“It is an honor to serve as the new director for the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability in such a progressive, leading city,” said John Seydel III. “I look forward to working with Mayor Kasim Reed and Chief Resilience Officer Stephanie Stuckey Benfield to forge new public-private partnerships and explore new approaches dedicated to ensuring an even more sustainable Atlanta.”
 
Seydel will also work with Stuckey Benfield to help create the City’s resilience plan.
 
“As a member of the 100 Resilient Cities Network, the City of Atlanta is not only expanding and enhancing our sustainability work, but we making sustainable projects a core function of our essential resiliency efforts,” said Stephanie Stuckey Benfield. “I could not be more excited about working with John Seydel as we make this transition. The City of Atlanta has tremendous potential to address local challenges facing many cities nationwide.”
 
Seydel has worked in the renewable energy space with the United Nations and the Southern Company. In addition, he has worked with the Captain Planet Foundation, an organization which promotes hands-on environmental education projects worldwide for youth. He also currently serves as associate trustee of the Turner Foundation.
Seydel received his Bachelors in Political Science from University of Denver.