Mayor Kasim Reed announced Friday the departure of Chief Operating Officer Duriya Farooqui, leaving Reed with two key positions in his administration to fill as he heads into his second term.
Farooqui, who succeeded Peter Aman as COO in 2011, will become a principal with Bain & Co., a global management consulting firm. Her last day with the city will be Jan. 31.
Her announcement comes just days after Louis Miller, the general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, said he plans to retire, and a few months after Reed spokeswoman Sonji Jacobs left to accept a position with Cox Enterprises, the parent company of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“It’s an incredible economic opportunity for her and one I think she deserves,” Reed said of Farooqui.
Reed, who with Farooqui broke the news to the Atlanta Committee for Progress board on Friday, said he hasn’t decided whether he’ll conduct a national search for her replacement. Nor did he name an interim director. Deputy COO Hans Utz remains on staff.
But the mayor will launch a nationwide search for Miller’s replacement at the airport, he said. Reed noted that Miguel Southwell, deputy general manager at Hartsfield-Jackson, was a finalist in the search that yielded Miller three years ago. Southwell is expected to be a contender for the top job once again.
Last week, Reed’s administration issued letters to employees asking them whether they intended to remain for his second term. All but Miller and Farooqui indicated yes, he said.
“I have some decisions to make about whether we’ll be making further changes,” Reed said.
Farooqui, the city’s third female COO, first joined City Hall in 2007, when Shirley Franklin was mayor.
As COO, she worked on a variety of projects, including managing lease negotiations to help finance the Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal, balancing the city’s annual budget, aiding in the 2011 pension overhaul and overseeing development of the city’s 311 call center set to open next year.
Farooqui, who as COO earns $221,000 annually, also played a major role in both the 30-year agreement with the Atlanta Falcons and negotiations with two churches that agreed to sell to make way for the Falcons stadium planned near Martin Luther King Drive.
Farooqui’s team was charged with lease renewal negotiations with the Atlanta Braves, talks that ended when the team announced a $672 million stadium deal with Cobb County officials last month. The deal commits $300 million in taxpayer funds to the project.
Though second political terms often yield changes, many have questioned the timing of Miller’s retirement, which comes just three years after he took the helm of the world’s busiest passenger airport.
Miller’s tenure is considerably shorter than that of his predecessor, Ben DeCosta, who led the airport for 11 years.
Miller joined the airport when he was already 62 years old, with a promise to finish Reed’s first term in office. He was hired in 2010 with a $221,000 salary to lead Hartsfield-Jackson.
Reed rebuffed suggestions that Miller’s departure was sudden.
“I knew when Louis wanted to retire when I hired him,” he said.
Miller, who plans to return to his home in Salt Lake City, will remain on staff through Jan. 3.
“I just kind of thought it was time,” Miller said earlier this week. “I’ve reached the point in my life where I’m looking forward to retirement.”
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