Mayor Andre Dickens today named Courtney English as Interim Chief of Staff.  English replaces former Chief of Staff Odie Donald, who resigned from the City of Atlanta earlier this month to take on a new role as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Richmond, Virginia.

English will assume responsibility of the Mayor’s legislative priorities, serve as the top liaison to the Atlanta City Council and oversee the Mayor’s Executive Offices including Legislative and External Affairs; Constituent Services; Communications; Cultural Affairs; Sustainability; International and Immigrant Affairs; Special Events; Diversity Equity and Inclusion; Film and Entertainment; and the Department of Labor and Employment Services.

These responsibilities build on English’s current role as Chief Policy Officer, in which he leads the team that focuses on the major public policy initiatives of the Dickens administration, which include affordable housing, economic development, youth education and engagement, neighborhood revitalization, and strategic partnerships.

“Since day one of my administration, Courtney has been a trusted advisor, agile leader, and passionate champion of the transformational public policy initiatives that are Moving Atlanta Forward,” said Mayor Dickens. “Courtney brings a depth of experience and commitment to his new responsibilities and motivates his teams to achieve our goals.”

As Chief Policy Officer, English has led many successful initiatives over the last four years, including:

• Bringing 11,000 units of affordable housing to the City of Atlanta.

• Launched the Year of the Youth initiative, the City of Atlanta of over $30 million dollars for early childhood education, after-school programming, mentorship, and financial literacy and the creation of safe spaces. This comprehensive approach has contributed to a 56 percent reduction in youth-related crime in 2023, the fourth biggest drop in any major U.S. city that year.

• Developing and implementing non-policing strategies that include youth engagement, job training, and community-based support systems as part of a comprehensive approach to crime reduction has led to a reduction in violent crime overall.

• Creating a strategic roadmap to improve the quality of life across city neighborhoods, especially those that have been historically underserved.

“I deeply appreciate Mayor Dickens' continued trust and confidence in me, and I am honored to serve the City of Atlanta in his Administration,” said English. “I will be hyper-focused on executing the Mayor’s vision of making Atlanta the best place in the country to raise a child through both our ongoing public policy initiatives and legislative priorities.”

English added: “Over the next few months, I look forward to working with our senior leadership team to ensure that the Mayor’s Executive Offices are functioning in the most optimal manner. We will continue to strengthen our partnerships across the city in the civic, non-profit, and business sectors to build an Atlanta that works for everyone.”

English, a native of Atlanta’s West End, has built his career in public service and non-profit work with a focus on the connection between strong public schools, affordable housing, and equitable neighborhood development for healthy communities.

A former classroom teacher, he was the youngest person to hold city-wide office in the city’s history when he was first elected to the Atlanta Board of Education at age 24. In 2014, he was elected unanimously by his colleagues to serve as that board’s chairman—the youngest in the history of the school system.

English went on to work for a non-profit affordable housing developer where he helped create and refurbish thousands of affordable housing units throughout metro Atlanta, including the addition of wrap-around services to support those residents in the surrounding communities.

English earned a bachelor's degree from Morehouse College with a focus on political science and his master’s degree in organizational psychology and leadership from Columbia University.