The Development Authority of DeKalb County has appointed Ray Gilley as president.

Gilley served as president of the Metro Orlando Economic Development Commission for nearly 10 years. He led a team of 35 professionals that produced 41, 000 jobs and $2.69 billion in capital investment.

Along with his years of experience in economic development, Gilley has an extensive background in marketing and branding, tourism development, as well as, strategic planning.

A diverse selection committee made up of DADC board members, DeKalb County elected officials and representatives from the DeKalb County business community, along with The Royster Group, an executive search firm, conducted the nationwide search for this position which took six months to complete.

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Members of the conversion crew take a break as the main scoreboard is lowered to the floor to be worked on as the arena gets ready for the next concert at State Farm Arena, Thursday, October 2, 2025, in Atlanta. The crew was working on creating a stage for the Friday, Oct. 3 Maxwell concert. (Jason Getz/AJC)

Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com