Atlanta’s Housing Agency Undergoing Transformation under Terri Lee’s Leadership
Atlanta, Georgia – Significant changes are unfolding in Atlanta Housing, with the agency enhancing its focus on speeding up the creation of new affordable accommodation. Terri Lee, the CEO and president of Atlanta Housing since February 2024, is leaving a significant imprint on the agency. This comes with the appointment of Alan Ferguson Sr. as the chief housing and real estate officer — a new consolidated position— and Dwayne Vaughn as permanent chief operating officer, both of whom will report directly to Lee.
Lee said during a telephone interview, “We are in the process of realignment. This is the beginning phase, so we can run as efficiently as possible. We want to build the capacity of our team.”
Major Leadership Changes
The leadership changes at Atlanta’s housing authority also include the forthcoming retirements of two seasoned leaders — Ernestine Garey, senior vice president of Choice Neighborhoods, and Trish O’Connell, senior vice president of real estate planning and development. There have been cases of other executives leaving the agency. All housing and real estate functions will now report to Ferguson, an effort structured to accelerate the development of affordable housing.
Before his appointment at Atlanta Housing due on June 3, Ferguson served as the president and CEO of Habitat for Humanity-Atlanta. Vaughn, on the other hand, has been serving as the interim chief operating officer since February when Lee took over as CEO. Vaughn was formerly Atlanta Housing’s general counsel, leading the agency’s legal team.
A New Path for Atlanta Housing
Larry Stewart, Atlanta Housing’s board chair, stated that these leadership changes aimed to strengthen the agency’s operations. Deeply crucial for Atlanta Housing and the city is the hastening of planning and implementation of additional affordable housing units.
These changes at Atlanta Housing, driven by Lee in conjunction with Stewart and the board, aim to forego transactional operations and invest in transformational leadership. Atlanta Housing is endeavouring to reestablish its dominance as a public housing trendsetter nationally.
This rebound is much anticipated as the agency entered a period of inactivity in new housing developments following the departure of Renee Glover from the Atlanta Housing Authority in September 2013. The authority pressed on with the management of its Section 8 units and the oversight of its existing holdings.
Developments started gaining momentum when Eugene Jones became CEO of Atlanta Housing in October 2019, bringing Lee as his COO a year later. Atlanta has an opportunity to re-emerge as a leader in public housing according to Stewart, calling it a 3.0 moment.
Striving for Transformation
Both Lee and Stewart emphasized the need for innovation and transformation so that Atlanta Housing can have a broad impact. Stewart has hopes of helping residents of Atlanta Housing communities transition on to becoming homeowners instead of being a permanent housing solution. However, he acknowledges exceptions to this vision, particularly those living in senior communities.
Embracing a new outlook, Lee perceives housing as an integral part of neighborhoods and envisions it as a catalyst to transform communities. Atlanta’s mayor has set an ambitious goal of developing or maintaining 20,000 affordable housing units in Atlanta by 2030, with Atlanta Housing tasked with delivering half of those units.
With her forward-thinking vision and strategies, Terri Lee is leading Atlanta Housing to a new era of transformation and progress. “It’s more than just a job for me, It’s been my life’s work. It is my passion. I’m really focused on what Atlanta Housing can be. How can we be the best housing agency in the country? I’m excited about the future and the opportunities before us.”
