DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson Sworn In

On Friday, January 17, Lorraine Cochran-Johnson was sworn in as the fifth CEO of DeKalb County during an Oath of Office ceremony at Glenn Memorial United Methodist Church. Prior to being elected as the new CEO in June 2024, Cochran-Johnson served as County Commissioner for Super District 7 from 2018-2024 and served as the Chair of the Public Works and Infrastructure Committee. She spearheaded legislation including the Boxed Store Ordinance, the DeKalb Video Surveillance Ordinance, a Housing Crisis Resolution, and a Trail Development Resolution. She also founded EMBARC Youth Farm, a $10 million urban farming project in Lithonia. As a professional, she founded Salons Unlimited Magazine before joining Real Times Media in 2015 where she remained until 2018 when she ran for public office. Cochran-Johnson campaigned on being a proponent of High-Capacity Transit, easing the permitting process, and increasing rental and single-family housing inventories.

CEO Cochran-Johnson has also announced several members of her Executive Team. G. Leah Davis, Ph.D. will serve as Chief of Staff. Jacob Vallo will serve as Chief Development Officer, joining DeKalb with  over 25 years of real estate development experience, including at Lalani Ventures, The Roseview Group, Jamestown Properties, Hines, the Westside Future Fund, and as Assistant General Manager for Real Estate Development for MARTA. Martha Revelo serves as Chief of Intergovernmental Affairs, where she serves as DeKalb’s representative for the DeKalb Municipal Association, working alongside DeKalb’s 12 municipalities to ensure proper intergovernmental relations and coordination. The new Chief Information Officer is William Jones, where he will oversee the County’s efforts to provide residents with convenient access to county services and information. Lastly, Dionna Smith is the CEO’s new Chief Communications Officer.

The Council looks forward to working with CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson and the rest of her Executive Team across DeKalb County.