Mayor makes appointments to city’s housing leadership team

Amanda Rhein Chatiqua Ellison Mayor Andre Dickens has appointed Amanda Rhein as Chief Housing Officer and made several key appointments to the City of Atlanta’s housing leadership team. Rhein, who currently serves as Executive Director of the Atlanta Land Trust, brings more than two decades of experience in equitable development, affordable housing, and community revitalization. Rhein is also a current member of the Mayors Affordable Housing Taskforce that has produced 12,000 units of housing in under four years, according to a press release. Prior to joining the Atlanta Land Trust, Rhein led the transit-oriented development (TOD) initiative at MARTA, resulting in the redevelopment of over 35 acres of underutilized surface parking at eight heavy rail stations. She also spent nearly a decade at Invest Atlanta. “Amanda is a nationally respected leader whose experience, innovation, and track record of execution will serve the city well, especially as we work to improve neighborhoods, increase affordable homeownership, and spur transit-oriented development,” Dickens said in a statement. “With her leadership, we will continue to set national standards for how cities can tackle housing affordability with innovation and compassion.” Rhein will start in January 2026, and the Chief Housing Officer and the housing team will report directly to Chief of Staff Courtney English.   In another major appointment, Chatiqua Ellison has been appointed Deputy Chief Housing Officer and Senior Advisor to the Mayor on Homelessness. An Atlanta native, Ellison has more than a decade of experience in public service, according to the release. She spearheaded the Forest Cove Relocation, successfully rehousing 193 families from substandard conditions into safe, stable homes. She also oversees the Rapid Housing Initiative, which has created more than 300 units toward a goal of 500 quick-delivery homes for Atlanta’s unhoused residents including The Melody, the city’s first container home community. Ellison also led the City’s Homelessness Taskforce, helping to develop policies and procedures for safe and coordinated encampment closures, and partnered with Invest Atlanta to launch the City’s Grocery Initiative, which expands access to fresh food in low-income communities and supports the opening of The Azalea Market. Other Key Appointments • William Tucker has been named permanent Director of the Housing Innovation Lab. • Katie Molla will continue in her role as Director of Special Projects, where she supports the city’s fresh food access initiatives, downtown homelessness strategies, and Tax Allocation District (TAD) implementation. • Colin Delargy, Assistant Director, has been with the Housing Innovation Lab since 2022 and specializes in housing finance, planning, and policy. • Carolyn Kovar, Assistant Director of Housing Delivery, oversees the development of affordable housing on public land from due diligence and pre-development through community engagement and rezoning. • Matt Delicata, Senior Real Estate Advisor, brings nearly 20 years of experience in both the private and public sectors, focusing on commercial real estate investment and development. • Chanel Ziesel, Director of Housing Policy, will continue in her role as Director of Housing Policy where she has led the administration’s work to reduce blight, place-based public safety, and efforts to revitalize downtown Atlanta. The post Mayor makes appointments to city’s housing leadership team appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta.