The Stockbridge City Council appointed James Touchton to the position of economic development director.

The move was made official after a brief executive session at a Sept. 28 special called meeting. No council member voted against the appointment.

Touchton was previously the director of policy and government affairs for the Council for Quality Growth for more than six years, and he spent five years in the Georgia Senate Research Office as a senior policy analyst and advisor. Touchton received his undergraduate and master’s degrees from Kennesaw State University, where he remains active on several boards.

In addition, he is the current president of the Board for Advance Atlanta and serves on the Town Center Alliance Advisory Board. He is a graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development.