On December 8, 2021 the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) Board voted to appoint Anna Roach as the agency’s next Executive Director. Roach has served as Chief Operating Officer for Fulton County since 2017 and previously worked as the county’s Chief Strategy Officer. Roach becomes ARC’s first female leader and will succeed Doug Hooker, who has been ARC’s Executive Director since 2011. She plans to join ARC in February 2022 to allow for a smooth transition with Hooker, who will retire at the end of March 2022.
“Anna Roach is a proven leader with a strong track record of success and a deep passion for the Atlanta region,” said ARC Board Chairman Kerry Armstrong. “She’s poised to build on the innovative work taking place at ARC and continue to move the agency forward.”
Roach holds a law degree from St. John’s University and a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York, College at Cortland. Earlier in her career, she served as Assistant Deputy General Counsel for the District of Columbia Department of Human Resources, an administrative law judge in the city of New York, and as appellate counsel for the Legal Aid Society of New York.
“I am honored by the confidence shown in me by the ARC Board and am eager to lead the agency’s efforts to build a better, brighter future for all residents,” Roach said.
“The Atlanta Regional Commission is a highly effective and trusted organization that plays a key role in shaping our community. I am excited to get to know the agency’s talented staff and work with them to improve quality of life in our region.”
Roach said her priorities include promoting housing access and health equity and developing a highly skilled, regional workforce. She also aims to find common ground on the best path forward for transit in the Atlanta region, as well as elevating the dialogue on addressing climate challenges.
On the same day the ARC Board voted to re-elect Kerry Armstrong for a fifth term as Board Chairman. Mr. Armstrong has served on the ARC Board since 2008 and was elected to his first term as Board Chair in 2013. His next two-year term will begin on January 1, 2022. Under the leadership of Armstrong and the other board members, ARC has worked with local governments and community partners to address key regional issues and implement the Atlanta Region’s Plan, a long-range blueprint that provides investments to support world-class infrastructure, healthy, livable communities, and a competitive economy for metro Atlanta.
“I am grateful for the Board’s continued support and look forward to building on our agency’s efforts to foster an Atlanta region where every resident has the opportunity to succeed,” said Armstrong.
Armstrong, Managing Director/Development Partner with Pope & Land Enterprises, also is actively involved in numerous civic, educational, and charitable organizations. He is the chair of the North Fulton Community Improvement District and serves as Board of Director and past Chair of the Council for Quality Growth.