Mayor appoints Courtney English as interim chief of staff for City of Atlanta

Mayor Andre Dickens has named his chief policy officer and senior advisor, Courtney English, as his interim chief of staff. 

English replaces former Chief of Staff Odie Donald, who resigned earlier this month to take on a new role as chief administrative officer for the City of Richmond, VA.

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.

“I deeply appreciate Mayor Dickens’ continued trust and confidence in me, and I am honored to serve the City of Atlanta in his Administration,” English said in a statement. “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, a native of Atlanta’s West End, is a former classroom teacher and was the youngest person to hold 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.

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