Photo: Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms with her transition team. Credit: FOX 5 Atlanta.
POLITICS NEWS
Georgia Gov.-elect Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the leadership of her transition team, called “Georgia’s Promise,” at a State Capitol press conference on Friday, November 6. Filmmaker and entertainment executive Tyler Perry is one of ten co-chairs named to the team.
Bottoms also named John King, a military veteran and former City of Atlanta chief operating officer, to serve as chief operating officer of Georgia’s Promise. The announcement begins the transition work ahead of the January inauguration.
FOX 5 Atlanta reported the announcement from Bottoms’ press conference. Read the outlet’s report.
Ten co-chairs named
The co-chairs bring experience from business, public service, civic organizations, housing and entertainment. The group includes Home Depot co-founder Arthur Blank; former Walgreens Boots Alliance CEO Roz Brewer; Carter Center board chair Jason Carter; affordable housing leader Carmen Chubb; and Richard Cox, a graduate of Frederick Douglass High School.
Also named are former state Rep. Jane Kidd, civic nonprofit leader Michelle Nunn, retired corporate executive Vicki Palmer, Tyler Perry and former city equity official Rashad Taylor.
Perry’s role is one part of a larger leadership slate. His connection to Atlanta’s entertainment industry makes the appointment locally notable, but he is one of ten co-chairs rather than the sole leader of the transition team.
Perry’s Tyler Perry Studios is based at the historic Fort McPherson site in Atlanta. The studio’s website describes its campus as a 330-acre production facility with sound stages, historic buildings and a backlot.
Honorary co-chairs include state and national figures
The announcement also named honorary co-chairs. They include Lt. Gov.-elect Harold Jones, House Democratic Leader Carolyn Hughley, Public Service Commissioner Peter Hubbard, Philip Gelman and former state Rep. Calvin Smyre.
The longer list includes former Georgia officials Thurbert Baker and Roy Barnes, former U.S. Sen. Sam Nunn, U.S. Sen. John Ossoff, U.S. Sen. Raphael Warnock and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young.
The honorary co-chairs add another group of public and civic leaders to the transition effort. FOX 5 Atlanta reported the names from Bottoms’ announcement.
King will oversee transition operations
Bottoms named John King as chief operating officer of Georgia’s Promise. King is a military veteran and previously served as chief operating officer for the City of Atlanta.
The transition team’s work is expected to include preparing for the change in administration and shaping early priorities. Bottoms said additional agency heads, senior transition staff and policy leads would be announced in the coming days.
The complete list of transition personnel was not available at the time of this report. Details on individual assignments and the full policy team remain outstanding.
Bottoms cites cooperation with Kemp
Bottoms said she had spoken with outgoing Gov. Brian Kemp and that he offered support for the transition.
“I've spoken with Governor Kemp, we had a very good conversation. He has offered to provide whatever resources and support that he can to make this a smooth and orderly transition.”
Bottoms also reflected on her election, saying, “It is an honor to say the least.”
The transition will take place before Bottoms’ January inauguration. 11Alive reported that Bottoms won the governor’s race with 54.3% of the vote.
Early priorities include health care and criminal justice
Bottoms outlined several policy areas during the announcement, including health care access, criminal justice, flood recovery and state data centers.
She said she plans to eliminate the Georgia Pathways program in pursuit of broader affordable health care access. She also identified statewide mental health diversion courts as part of her criminal justice reform plans.
Bottoms said her team would monitor flooding in North Georgia in coordination with Kemp’s administration. She also said she would consult experts on state data centers.
These are priorities shared at the transition announcement. Further details on proposals, timing and implementation were not available in the information reviewed for this report.
What remains unknown
The full list of agency heads, senior transition staff and policy leads has not yet been announced. Bottoms said those names would roll out in the coming days ahead of the January inauguration.
It is also not yet clear whether Kemp will convene a special legislative session on budget priorities. No decision on a special session was confirmed in the reporting reviewed for this article.
What the announcement means for Atlanta
Perry’s appointment links the transition news to Atlanta’s film and television community. His studio is one of the city’s major production campuses, while the broader transition team includes leaders from several sectors across Georgia.
The announcement, however, is a statewide political development. The co-chairs and honorary co-chairs are part of a wider effort to prepare for a new administration, with additional staff and policy details still to come.
This report is based on public information, including FOX 5 Atlanta’s reporting from Bottoms’ press conference.
For more updates, visit the Atlanta Wave TV newsroom and read our earlier coverage of Bottoms’ election.
