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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Travelers wait in Concourse F, the international terminal, at Hartsfield-Jackson airport in Atlanta on Wednesday, June 4, 2025. (Arvin Temkar / AJC)

Credit: arvin.temkar@ajc.com