Meet Charletta Wilson Jacks

Today we’d like to introduce you to Charletta Wilson Jacks.

Ms. Jacks is a graduate of Howard University, where she received a Bachelor of Art degree and Clark Atlanta University, where she received a Master of Public Administration with a concentration in Public Policy Analysis and Urban and Regional Planning Administration. Prior to the appointment as Deputy Director of Government Affairs for the 60th Mayor of Atlanta-Keisha Lance Bottoms, Charletta Wilson Jacks served as Director of Planning/Zoning and Development. She was the first female African-American to serve as Zoning Administrator for the City of Atlanta. In this position, she was frequently sought after to educate citizens and neighborhoods on community engagement and understanding the impact of development on communities. Her professional executive leadership experience includes project and construction management experience with the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games and several architectural and engineering firms. Her excitement goes into overdrive when she talks about the projects that have her imprint: Atlanta University Center Olympic Games Venues at Morris Brown College (football field), Clark Atlanta University (football field) and Morehouse College (basketball arena), Ponce City Market, Redevelopment of Turner Field, Redevelopment of the Gulch and Atlanta Beltline.

In her current position in the Mayor’s office, Charletta Wilson Jacks is charged with collaborating with stakeholders to ensure the effective implementation of the Mayor’s legislative priority agenda with the City Council and other city stakeholders. She also provides leadership and counsel on matters of development policy and strategy.

I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Serving as Zoning Administrator was an exciting and yet very challenging responsibility. Every municipality that has adopted development regulations has an official charged with the administration and interpretation of those rules. I was this official, in a position with increasingly complex regulations for a major growing metropolitan city to administer and interpret. Challenges were present every day and these challenges spurred me to have a correspondingly greater need to learn every expansive and complicated zoning ordinance to ensure that I made the best and most compliant decision that would enable builders and developers in the City to move forward with their building plans and communities to receive positive and impactful benefits.

My decisions, recommendations and interpretations have played a critical role in the development of the city’s building landscape today. At the end of the day, I can ride around the City of Atlanta and see the results of my actions. Consequently, I have always felt that my success is bigger than me. For me, it’s about the success and liviability of the over 400,000 residents.

The challenges of the job, the residents, the tasks of redevelopment and the idea of redevelopment fueled me to push through moments of doubt. No matter how unsettling a task might appear, the excitement of managing a major opportunity of growth and development keeps me humbled because I know it is not all about me. It is about the people and community.

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
It is a delight to currently serve in the administration of the 60th Mayor of the City of Atlanta. The Bottoms Administration has been faced with many challenges and has been intentional on ensuring that the residents are the top priority as solutions are developed and implemented. I serve as the Deputy Director of Government Affairs and prior to that, I was the Director of Planning/Zoning and Development. and Zoning Administrator for the City. Based on my many years of experience in community and zoning development, I am looked upon as a “go-to” professional for making projects work with development regulations for community development/redevelopment, including large-scale multimillion-dollar transformative developments (residential, commercial, industrial). Putting the pieces together and actually seeing them come to life is one of the most gratifying experiences of my work at the City of Atlanta.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
People matter. Gaining community and stakeholder trust is paramount and it matters. Understanding the rules and how to apply the rules for good and not a restrictive personal agenda matters because a focus on the good of the order has an enormous impact on an organization, employees, and the community. When leaders recognize that people matter they will also know in ensuring that people matter, those who seldom make mistakes will seldom find themselves in a position to be innovative. Making people matter means that one is trying, creating, and discovering.