DeKalb County has hired a former manager from the Atlanta Development Authority to oversee its economic development office.

Charles Whatley also worked for 15 years as a consultant specializing in business models, strategic and marketing plans and market forecasts.

Whatley has an undgraduate degree in economics from Yale University and a master’s in economics from Georgia Tech. He will make $168,700 in his new post.

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Students line up after school for school buses at Sequoyah Middle School in Doraville on Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025. The school’s principal told teachers not to talk to students about ICE, and teachers and activists are pushing back. (Arvin Temkar/AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com