ATLANTA -- Mayor Shirley Franklin and the Board of Directors of the Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) announced that Greg Giornelli has been selected as the new president of the Atlanta Development Authority. Mayor Franklin chairs the Board of Directors of the ADA, which is a public authority charged with promoting the revitalization and growth of the City through a
comprehensive and centralized program focusing on community development and redevelopment. Giornelli served as Chief Policy Officer (CPO) for the Franklin administration and reported to City policy, including affordable housing, homelessness, ethics, and parks and greenspace. As CPO, Giornelli managed the decision-making process related to the transition of the City’s water system from private operator to City department as well as the process related to City’s sewer system and federal Consent Decree. Giornelli was introduced and began work at the Atlanta Development Authority board meeting on Thursday August 21, 2003.
Mayor Franklin says, “I am excited that Greg Giornelli is taking on the challenge of leading ADA and coordinating the City's economic development efforts. He brings a commitment to the City and a wealth of knowledge which will benefit the ADA. His leadership during the fifteen months of my administration was critical in helping us meet the challenges of governance in the 21st century. The Board and I look forward to working with him to develop a strategic plan for Atlanta's economic development using the tools available through ADA."
Giornelli is an attorney with a background in finance and brings considerable experience in community economic development to the ADA. Before joining the Franklin Administration, he served as Executive Director of the East Lake Community Foundation and Cousins Foundations. Giornelli managed the East Lake Community Foundation’s $125 million inner-city neighborhood revitalization effort that included the redevelopment of a failed public housing project into a safe and attractive mixed-income community; the approval, development, funding and operation of Atlanta’s first charter school; the development and operation of the Charlie Yates Golf Course; the funding of the East Lake Family YMCA and Sheltering Arms Child Development Center; and the development and operation of a comprehensive array of supportive services programs for low-income families. He simultaneously managed the Cousins family of foundations totaling approximately $110 million in assets
Giornelli received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Finance from the University of Virginia in 1983 and Juris Doctorate from the University of Georgia School of Law in 1988.
In accepting the appointment, Giornelli said, “I believe that the next 10 years in Atlanta will be a time of tremendous growth and opportunity. ADA can and should be at the forefront of making sure that Atlanta is a city with plentiful economic opportunity, a vibrant and exciting downtown, and housing that is affordable for people of all income levels. We especially need to make sure that all areas of the city share equally in the growth, jobs, and housing opportunities that will arise in the next decade.”
Mayor Franklin commended and thanked the Atlanta office of Egon Zehnder International, who culled the candidate pool and advised the search committee throughout its deliberations. She also thanked the ADA Board Search Committee, chaired by Aaron Watson, with the participation of Barney Sims, Joe Brown, Fulton County Commissioner Nancy Boxill, Sam Williams, and City Commissioner of Planning and Community Development Charles Graves.