Fulton County DA-elect Fani Willis forms transition team
Fani Willis, who will be Fulton County’s new district attorney next year, has formed a transition team that includes a former mayor, local attorneys, clergy members and a onetime NBA superstar.
The 22-member “Restoring Integrity Transition Team” will aim to identify the five most pressing community concerns involving criminal justice and find ways to address them, Willis said. It will also try to determine the best way to divert certain offenders into supervision programs before they are criminally charged.
“I’m putting this group to work,” said Willis, who unseated longtime DA Paul Howard with 72% of the vote in the Aug. 11 runoff election.
“I’m very happy that everyone I asked to do it agreed to help,” Willis said. “It speaks well of our community.”
Former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, AT&T corporate attorney Suzanne Ockleberry, and Bill Dupré of the Miller & Martin law firm will serve as chairs for the group that will provide recommendations on social and criminal justice issues.
Other members of the transition team include former NBA star Shaquille O’Neal, recording artist Michael “Killer Mike” Render, former DeKalb DA Jeff Brickman, defense attorney Akil Secret, Rev. William E. Flippin Jr., and former Atlanta City Council members Mary Norwood and Cathy Woolard.
About the Author
Bill Rankin has been an AJC reporter for more than 30 years. His father, Jim Rankin, worked as an editor for the newspaper for 26 years, retiring in 1986. Bill has primarily covered the state’s court system, doing all he can do to keep the scales of justice on an even keel. Since 2015, he has been the host of the newspaper’s Breakdown podcast.
