May 29, 2019

Art & Life with Odie Donald II

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Odie Donald II.

Odie, please kick things off for us by telling us about yourself and your journey so far.
I was born in Atlanta, GA, in what is now Old Fourth Ward at Georgia Baptist, now Atlanta Medical, hospital. I spent most of my life in Southwest Atlanta and went to the world’s greatest high school, Frederick Douglass which produced Atlanta’s current mayor Keisha Lance-Bottoms, Hollywood film-maker Heather Morris-Washington, NFL great Jamal Lewis, and hip-hop artists Killer Mike and T.I.

I was a three (3) year letterman in varsity basketball and went on to play Division I basketball at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and Georgia State University. My journey has been filled with a variety of failures and triumphs whether it be committing to play Division I basketball at the University of Colorado and experiencing challenges with the NCAA clearinghouse, to go on and break collegiate records at UTC, to experiencing a period of homelessness after an injury-filled hoops career.

Growing up in “Old Atlanta” and being exposed to so many different types of people has helped shaped my perspective in life as a young professional, a relatively new father, and a public sector leader. On my block growing up, I spent time learning from people who would define the future of Atlanta including political change maker and former Atlanta Mayor Maynard Jackson and Dungeon Family Pioneer Jahmar “Backbone” Williams. Influences like that have helped to provide a balance to dreaming big, committing to public service, and the value of receiving good counsel from non-traditional sources.

Can you give our readers some background on your work in the public sector?
Somehow I’ve found myself serving as a government administrator, ensuring that organizations in the public sector meet the needs of their constituents and provide a high return on investment for the tax revenues provided by residents and businesses. I’ve been blessed to provide leadership to a variety of government organizations starting with Job Corps, Fulton County, and the Technical College System of Georgia to the City of Savannah, the Georgia Department of Labor, the District of Columbia, and now the new City of South Fulton as the first permanent City Manager.

Over the past ten years, more than 1,00,00,000 people have received government services across the Country, over $3 billion has been reinvested into local communities, and residents have had a greater opportunity to tell their elected leaders what they desire and expect in return for their investment.

Now, in the new City of South Fulton, I have the honor of helping our eight dynamic elected leaders deliver on the promise of more effective and accessible government from the days when the County delivered services on their behalf. In my first year at the helm we’ve acquired seventeen parks, more than 700 acres, established ten departments, a municipal court system, and launched a few innovative programs like Destination South Fulton and the Customer Response Center – Georgia’s only 24/7 non-emergency call center accessible to residents and businesses. We’re also on track to acquire Wolf Creek Amphitheatre and Southwest Arts Center which will make our Parks and Cultural Affairs offerings arguably the best in the state.

Any advice for aspiring or new government leaders?
It’s no secret that public sector budgets aren’t exhaustive. There’s always a need beyond what’s funded. One of the biggest successes we’ve had in my various stops is leveraging businesses investment to augment offerings to the community by developing public-private partnerships that are mutually beneficial. In Savannah we partnered with the federal government, the state, and businesses benefitting by the harbor deepening to connect residents to jobs and new business opportunities, Likewise, in the District, we partnered with the utility industry to train and prepare residents for thousands of unfilled jobs by developing the Infrastructure Academy.

In South Fulton, we’ve decided to double down on these lessons. Our elected and administrative leaders are committed to making sure our business environment is attractive to the Fortune 100 firms looking to expand and relocate, while also investing in the growth of new and existing small businesses. It’s definitely a challenge I’m excited about and enjoying. For the first time, I get to share my expertise in the community I grew up in, and deliver the types of programs and services that have long been desired on the Southside!

What’s the best part about the work that you do?
The last five years or so has definitely been a whirlwind. The honors and recognition have been overwhelming. In addition to being recognized by Young Government Leaders, Georgia Trend Magazine, and Georgia State University for their various 40 under 40 awards, even more, rewarding is being appointed to national and regional leadership roles focused on growing public sector leaders. In addition to being named as a member of the 40 under 40 honorees for GSU, YGL, and Georgia Trend, I was also recognized as WHo’ Who in Black Atlanta and elected president of the Atlanta Chapter of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators and the Treasurer for Young Government Leaders.

One of the best things about providing leadership in the public sector is seeing your impact on the communities in which you live and work. Seeing the impact on home values from improved public safety activities and increased access to retail and shopping, or being approached by someone who turned their life around through a job training program that allowed them to provide for their growing family keeps me centered and focused.

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