May 23, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 23, 2011
Contact: Sonya Moste, Director of Marketing and Public Relations
Phone: 770.235.3159
The Atlanta Development Authority Announces Senior Management Appointments
ATLANTA – The Board of Directors of The Atlanta Development Authority (ADA) named Brian P. McGowan as its new President and Chief Executive Officer last week. McGowan has served as U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce and COO for the U.S. Economic Development Administration since September 2009. McGowan was also detailed to the White House as a Senior Economic Advisor from July to November 2010 to establish and lead an Economic Solutions Group within the National Incident Command to help communities along the gulf mitigate the economic impacts of the BP oil spill.
“I believe that Brian McGowan’s extensive experience having worked at all levels of government will help The Atlanta Development Authority continue to move the City of Atlanta toward economic recovery,” said Mayor Reed. “We’ve made great strides over the past 16 months with initiatives such as the ongoing revitalization of the Historic Westside District, the redevelopment of Fort McPherson, and the relocation of Porsche’s headquarters to the city. I am confident that under Brian’s leadership, we will build on that strong foundation and generate even more economic investment and development opportunities for the City of Atlanta.”
“I am honored to have been selected as the new President/CEO of The Atlanta Development Authority, and I am grateful for the confidence that Mayor Reed and the board members have placed in me,” McGowan said. “Atlanta is one of America’s greatest cities because of the value it has placed on innovation, education and connections to the global economy. It’s an economic powerhouse and a city poised for 21st century leadership and growth. I look forward to working with public and private sector leaders throughout the region to accelerate that momentum and create jobs and opportunity for the people of Atlanta.”
Before joining the Obama Administration, McGowan was appointed by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and served as California’s Deputy Secretary for Economic Development and Commerce in the Business, Transportation, and Housing Agency. Prior to that, he was appointed as the Economic Development Agency Administrator for the County of San Bernardino, California, overseeing four departments focused on economic development, community development and housing, redevelopment, and workforce development. He also worked for the Cities of Ontario and Palm Springs in California. In addition, McGowan served as a consultant on a U.S. Agency for International Development funded program to help cities in Bulgaria and Serbia create economic development and growth strategies.
Also announced last week was the appointment of Ernestine Garey, the former interim president, to the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer to manage the day to day operations of the Authority. Prior to being named interim president in 2010, Garey was managing director of the Housing Finance Department for the ADA for more than ten years. In this capacity, she was responsible for crafting, implementing and executing the vision of the agency in the development and implementation of multifamily and single-family tax-exempt bond initiatives. She has been instrumental in the issuance of more than $1 billion in housing revenue bonds since 1986, creating over 15,000 units of affordable workforce housing for both rental and homeownership in the city of Atlanta. Most recently, she was also responsible for the implementation of the Housing Opportunity Bond program and the Beltline Affordable Housing Trust Fund, which together provided more than $40 million to spur the creation of new affordable housing opportunities for the city of Atlanta’s workforce. Before assuming her position as managing director, she served as compliance administrator and deputy director of the Urban Residential Finance Authority for more than 12 years prior to its consolidation with The Atlanta Development Authority.
“We’re excited to have Brian lead our team,” says Garey. “We look forward to discovering innovative opportunities and executing new initiatives with excellence.”
The Atlanta Development Authority Presidential Selection Committee was chaired by Scott Taylor, president of Carter. Other members of the committee were: Atlanta City Councilmember Joyce Sheperd, Anna Foote and Julian Bene.
ABOUT ATLANTA DEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY
The Atlanta Development Authority is the official economic development agency for the city of Atlanta. ADA represents intown Atlanta, which has a population of 420,000 and growing. ADA is a research-based economic development organization, focused on residential, business and investment growth in the city. Visit www.atlantada.com.
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