Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens names chief of staff
Odie Donald II, administrator of the Augusta-Richmond County consolidated government, is returning to his native Atlanta to serve as Mayor Andre Dickens’ chief of staff.
Dickens said in a statement Friday that Donald is the right person to help him meet his administration’s goals because of his “super-charged experience.” Donald’s first day is Feb. 28.
“Mayor Dickens has one of the most ambitious agendas of any mayor in the country. To return to my hometown to join the team that will bring that agenda to fruition is a full-circle moment for me, and I am excited to get going,” Donald said in a statement.
Odie oversees the day-to-day operations of Augusta, leading approximately 3,000 employees with a $15 billion tax digest and a $1 billion operating and capital improvements budget.
Before his stint in Augusta, Donald served as South Fulton’s first city manager. He was credited with eliminating a $25 million deficit while doubling revenues and establishing the first positive fund balance in South Fulton’s history.
Donald also worked for the Washington, D.C., government as a state labor administrator and as the executive director of D.C.’s Workforce Investment Council. He served as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) services director in the Workforce Division for the Georgia Department of Economic Development and as the Executive Director of Coastal Workforce Services in Savannah.
Donald played Division I basketball at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in History. He earned his Master’s of Business Administration from Georgia State University. He is a graduate of Frederick Douglass High School.
About the Author
Wilborn P. Nobles III covers Atlanta City Hall for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He began covering DeKalb County Schools for The AJC in November 2020. He previously covered Baltimore County for The Baltimore Sun and education for the Times-Picayune in New Orleans. He interned at the Washington Post. He graduated from Louisiana State University.
