In one of her first events before she takes office as the sixth chief executive officer (CEO) of DeKalb County and the first African American woman to hold the position, Lorraine Cochran-Johnson hosted a panel with DeKalb’s living CEOs for “A Conversation on DeKalb: Past, Present and Future.” In the theater of the Porter Sanford Performing Arts Center in Decatur on Wednesday, Cochran-Johnson was joined by Liane Levetan, DeKalb’s first woman CEO, Vernon Jones, and Burrell Ellis. Michael Thurmond, the former CEO who held office from 2017-2024, was unable to attend.
Jones, DeKalb’s first African American CEO, noted a time in the county when African Americans barely had access to anything. Today, DeKalb has one of the highest populations of Black residents in Georgia, and four of DeKalb’s six CEOs have been Black.
“Few people can understand the magnitude of what we’ve embarked upon. It’s important for us to come together, not only as leaders, but as a community,” Cochran-Johnson said.
From bond referendums that helped build parks, new roads, bike trails and revitalize South DeKalb through green space to new libraries and senior centers and projects such as Arabia Mountain, the CEOs of DeKalb’s past talked about their accomplishments and the legacy they leave as they hand the baton to its next CEO…