Mayor Andre Dickens is appointing four new board members to oversee Atlanta Housing in furtherance of his plan to build or preserve 20,000 units of affordable housing in the city. Mayor Dickens is nominating Duriya Farooqui, Doug Hooker, Sarah Kirsch and Larry Stewart to the Board of Commissioners.

The Mayor’s Administration has accepted the resignations of Chair Dr. Christpher R. Edwards, Vice Chair Kirk Rich, Commissioner Pat D. Dixon, Jr. and Commissioner Robert Highsmith, Jr. The remaining three commissioners—Rosalind Elliott, Sheila Harris and Tené Traylor—will continue in their positions.

“I thank the four retiring members of the Board of Commissioners for their steadfast commitment to our city,” said Mayor Dickens. “Through their service to Atlanta Housing, they have stabilized the organization, hired a new CEO and launched major projects, including building the first new affordable housing in the city in years. I also deeply appreciate their partnership in resolving the long-standing litigation with Integral earlier this year.”

Under the leadership of Chair Edwards and the other retiring board members, Atlanta Housing made several important advances for housing, including:

• Serving more than 26,500 households, providing $566 million in rental and down payment assistance, investing $218 million in affordable housing development and providing 10,419 affordable units across 112 properties.

• Atlanta Housing is serving about 15% more families than five years ago.

• Atlanta Housing is leading the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative to revitalize the former University Homes and three surrounding neighborhoods.

• The agency provided down payment assistance to 773 first-time homebuyers from 2018 to 2021, totaling more than $18 million.

• The Board conducted a national search to recruit and hire Eugene E. Jones, R. as President and CEO, bringing stability to the organization.

“With housing prices on the rise and inflation cutting deeply into paychecks, there is no time to waste on our plan to build and preserve homes that our residents can afford,” Mayor Dickens added. “Atlanta Housing is an important partner in achieving our vision to build or preserve 20,000 units of affordable housing. My appointments to the board share my vision and have wide-ranging expertise and leadership experience in both the public and private sectors to get the job done.”

As Mayor Dickens announced in his State of the City address last month, he is also putting in place an Affordable Housing Strike Force, to be led by City of Atlanta Chief Operating Officer Lisa Gordon and Senior Advisor Courtney English. The Strike Force will include representatives from the City and other local agencies and will be tasked with streamlining and accelerating development of affordable housing in Atlanta.

Mayor Dickens’ appointments, all Atlantans, all share a deep commitment to serving Atlanta, bringing a wealth of experience and diverse backgrounds to the Board.

Duriya Farooqui is a corporate and civic leader who serves on multiple boards. She has served in a variety of leadership roles, including as Chief Operating Officer for the City of Atlanta and President of Supply Chain Innovation at Georgia Pacific. Farooqui currently serves as Board Director of Intercontinental Hotels Group and Intercontinental Exchange, as well as on the boards of New York Stock Exchange and ICE NGX. She also co-chairs the NYSE Board Advisory Council which includes 20 CEOs of public companies advancing diversity on boards. Farooqui previously served as Executive Director Atlanta Committee for Progress. Farooqui served on Mayor Dickens’ Transition Advisory Group in support of his Transition Team. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economic and Mathematics from Hampshire College and a Master of Public Administration and International Development from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Doug Hooker has served as a government and corporate leader throughout his career, most recently retiring as Executive Director of the Atlanta Regional Commission in March. He has also worked at Georgia Power Co., the City of Atlanta, the State Road & Tollway Authority, and Atkins Global. He recently stepping down as the President of the Executive Directors’ Council and as a member of the board of the National Association of Regional Councils (NARC), where he was a cofounder of NARC’s Major Metros forum. The recipient of numerous awards and recognitions, Hooker has also served on the boards or as an advisor to multiple organizations in Atlanta. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Technology & Science Policy from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He also holds a Master of Business Administration degree from Emory University’s Goizueta School of Business.

Sarah Kirsch is a mission-driven leader who has a passion for community development and public policy. She served as Executive Director of the Urban Land Institute, Atlanta, supporting the 1,400+ member leaders in advancing the ULI mission at the regional level. In that role, she co-led HouseATL, an initiative with over 80 partner organizations that developed a shared and comprehensive housing affordability strategy. She previously held leadership roles at BlueGround Consulting and RCLCO. She also serves as a Board Member of the Atlanta Affordable Housing Fund. Kirsch served as Chair of the Neighborhood Empowerment Subcommittee for Mayor Dickens’ Transition Team. A graduate of Atlanta Public Schools, Kirsch holds a Bachelor of Arts in Public Policy Studies from Duke University.

Larry Stewart is an entrepreneur, tech visionary, digital marketing guru, marketing strategist and civic leader. He is currently Senior Principal focused on Client Leadership for Public Sector at Slalom Consulting. His past work experience has been centered in consulting and strategizing for technology startups. A resident of the City of Atlanta for over 25 years, he works with community leaders and startups on solutions for housing affordability, civic engagement, and virtual education. He was an instrumental member of the team that led the inclusionary zoning legislation. He also serves as a Commissioner for Atlanta City Council’s Housing Commission. Stewart served on Mayor Dickens’ Transition Team as a member of the Neighborhood Empowerment Subcommittee. He has a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.