The DeKalb County Development Authority has a new leader: Judy Turner was elected chairman by her colleagues on the quasi-governmental agency, a spokesperson for county CEO Burrell Ellis said Thursday.

Her selection at a special meeting Wednesday followed the resignation this week of former Chairman Eugene Walker. He quit the board, citing controversy over his support for tax breaks to developer Sembler Co.

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Inventor Lonnie Johnson stands with his Super Soaker water guns at JTEC Energy on Wednesday, Oct. 29, 2025, in Atlanta. Johnson, a former NASA engineer, is currently working on a new energy technology through his company’s JTEC device that turns thermal heat into usable energy. (Natrice Miller/AJC)