Atlanta City Council Confirms Roosevelt Council, Jr. as General Manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport

By a unanimous 14-0 vote, the Atlanta City Council on Dec. 3, confirmed Roosevelt Council, Jr. as the new general manager of Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. The confirmation comes less than a month after Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed nominated Council to the position. 

“Roosevelt Council is the right person to lead our Administration’s efforts to ensure Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport retains its position as the world’s leading passenger airport,” said Mayor Reed. “Mr. Council’s background in financial and transportation management has equipped him with the experience necessary to oversee all aspects of the world’s busiest and most efficient airport while positioning the Airport for the years and decades ahead.”

“I am honored and humbled at the confidence placed in me by Mayor Reed and the City Council members,” Council said. “I am entrusted with a great responsibility, and I look forward to working with the Mayor, the Council and our Airport partners to continue our efforts at economic growth and leadership on the global, regional and local levels.”

Council was named interim airport general manager in May. Since then, ATL has hosted tens of millions of passengers in a safe, efficient manner, secured credit rating upgrades and expanded work on ATLNext, a $6 billion capital improvement program that will pave the way for growth over the next 20 years. 

Previous to this post, Council was the Airport deputy general manager and chief financial officer.

The new general manager has more than 25 years of experience as a financial professional in public accounting, communications, transportation logistics and the public sector. He joined the City of Atlanta in 2009 as budget and fiscal policy chief and later served as deputy chief financial officer under former Mayor Shirley Franklin. Prior to joining the Airport, he served as interim CFO for the City of Atlanta under the leadership of Mayor Kasim Reed.

Before his employment with the city of Atlanta, Council was CFO of the Georgia Technology Authority, where he was responsible for general accounting, budget, cost accounting, financial reporting, payroll and strategic planning.

Council serves on the board of the Atlanta Convention and Visitors Bureau. He is on the Local Board of Directors for the Atlanta Technical College, and is a member of the 100 Black Men of Atlanta. The Mississippi native is a graduate of Memphis State University, the Harvard University Executive Leadership Program, and the Georgia Leadership Council.