Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the appointment of Deputy COO Josh Williams to serve as the City’s Chief Operating Officer. Williams will assume the role upon the departure of Richard Cox, who has served as an Executive on Loan from Cox Automotive.

“The City of Atlanta is truly fortunate to have the caliber of public servant found in Joshua Williams,” said Mayor Bottoms. “With Joshua’s steady hand at the Operations helm, the Administration will continue to enhance City services to become the most efficient, customer-focused and unrivaled municipality in the nation.”

“To say that we are grateful for Richard Cox’s service to the City would be an understatement,” continued Mayor Bottoms. “Under Richard’s leadership, we have drastically reduced waste in our budget, streamlined countless City operations and services, enacted sweeping ethics reform, and hosted the most successful Super Bowl in recent history. It has been an honor to have Richard on our team, and it is even more of an honor to count him as a friend. Thank you to both Richard and Cox Automotive for your commitment and dedication to the City of Atlanta.”

Joshua Williams joined the City as Deputy COO in August of 2018 after having served four years as Chief Operations Officer for DeKalb County Schools, a district with nearly 14,000 employees, a $150 million general operating budget and a $1.2 billion capital improvement program. He joined the school system in 2008 and held previous positions including Executive Director of Facilities Management and Director of Facility Planning and Construction. Williams began his career in the private sector construction industry.  

Richard will be returning to Cox Automotive on July 30, 2019 and will begin transitioning to Joshua to ensure continued progress. Joshua will assume COO responsibilities July 1, 2019.