2019 -2021 Executive Committee Members
Odie Donald, Chapter President
ODIE DONALD II
As City Manager, Odie Donald II leads the City of South Fulton’s approximately 500 employees in service of its more than 100,000 residents. Donald is a nationally recognized leader in government administration with an extensive career spanning several administrations, and he serves with the distinction of having been appointed the first City Manager of Georgia’s fifth largest city. In total, Donald has been responsible for helping more than 300,000 people find employment through government administered programs, resulting in more than $3 billion being directly reinvested in the United States economy over the course of his career. Most recently, he served as the Director of the District of Columbia’s Department of Employment Services (DOES), where he directed more than $230 million in local, federal and specific purpose funds administered by the District of Columbia and the Federal Government for workforce development programs and training, unemployment compensation, universal paid leave administration, and labor standards enforcement inclusive of $80 million in high-priority capital projects. Prior to joining DOES, Donald served as Executive Director of the DC Workforce Investment Council (WIC) where he developed and implemented the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) 2016-2020 Unified State Plan, secured a $1M investment in performance-based work initiatives, and partnered with the White House and LinkedIn to place youth with over 100 DC small businesses. Under his leadership, the District served more than 100,000 District residents, employing more than 50,000 residents, reinvested more than $1B into the region’s economy, removed the District’s long-standing designation as the worst workforce system in the country, exemplified by the removal of the region’s ‘high risk’ designation for federally funded job training programs and at-risk designation for unemployment insurance programs in place by the US Department of Labor since 2012. During his tenure, the District’s unemployment rate decreased by 1.1 percentage points (a 14.7% decrease) while the number of trained residents increased by 58%. As WIOA Services Director for the Georgia Department of Economic Development’s Workforce Division, Donald managed more than $90M in federal funds and under his leadership, Georgia was twice recognized as the nation’s number one destination for business, with the nation’s most skilled workforce. As one of the nation’s top workforce professionals, he holds the distinction of being the only person to transition two state systems through implementation of WIOA, which was signed into law by President Barack Obama in 2014. A native Georgian, Donald is an active civic leader both in his home state and nationally. His volunteer work and community affiliations include serving as Secretary on the Executive Committee for the National Association of State Administrators (NASWA), a member of the Workforce Development Council’s Board of Trustees for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a member of the DC 100 Resilient Cities Executive Cabinet, the DC Career Academy Network (DC CAN), the CTAE Advisory Board for Atlanta Public Schools, and he was a founding member of the Savannah Graduates Executive Council. A 2014 member of the Georgia Forward’s Young Game Changers, Donald was recognized as 40 Under 40 by Georgia Trend magazine, Georgia State University Alumni Association, and Young Government Leaders’ in 2015, 2017 and 2018 respectively, joining a host of innovators in business, government, politics, and education. Odie Donald is a graduate of Georgia State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in History in 2003 and an MBA in 2012.
Theresa Austin-Gibbons, First Vice President
Melanie D. Winfield, Second Vice President
Melanie D. Winfield is an attorney, administrator and regulatory compliance authority. Her career spans nearly 20 years and winds through three of the nation’s largest metropolitan areas: Memphis, Tennessee; Washington, D.C.; and Atlanta, Georgia. Currently, Winfield’s work directly impacts some 100,000 residents and hundreds of employers in the newly established City of South Fulton, Georgia. With a budget in excess of $100 million, Winfield leads a broad range of municipal services related to zoning, land use, public safety, public works, communications, code enforcement, communications, parks and recreation, community development and economic development, with a focus on increasing transparency and administering services efficiently, economically and effectively. Prior to transitioning to the City of South Fulton, Winfield served as the Deputy Director of Workforce Development for the DC Department of Employment Services (DOES), where she managed some $60 million in local, federal and specific-purpose funds to manage agency programs and initiatives which provide critical resources to jobseekers and employers. Winfield managed the launch of the DC Infrastructure Academy and spearheaded the District’s first ever clean federal audit, leading to the removal of the long-standing U.S. DOL “high risk” designation. Winfield was also an accomplished leader at the City of Memphis, Tennessee. As Deputy Director/Chief Operating Officer, Winfield administered a federally-funded budget of some $15 million per year, enhanced business operations, pushed performance past expected levels, improved the customer service experience for clients, and developed a number of policies and standard operating procedures to standardize and streamline operations. As the Assistant Attorney for the City of Memphis, she authored the Purchasing Policies and Procedure Manual, a document that officially laid out Memphis’ purchasing and procurement process for all involved stakeholders. The City of Memphis still uses the manual to this day. For legions of stakeholders in Memphis city government, Winfield reviewed or drafted scores of resolutions, ordinances, agreements and other legal documents to guide elected officials, teams and staff. And she advised elected officials, executives, divisions, boards, commissions and others across the city on everything from public works or real estate issues to matters involving human resources and public safety. Winfield received her Juris Doctorate (JD) from the University of Mississippi School of Law. She graduated summa cum laude from Tennessee State University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in English with Teacher Certification.
Robert Davis III, Treasurer
Rob Davis is the Deputy Director at WorkSource DeKalb in Decatur, Georgia, where he provides strategic leadership including: managing operations, budgeting, programs and goal setting. Rob has an exceptional capacity to analyze operational needs, develop processes and procedures to meet organizational objectives while implementing Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act workforce development strategies. He is workforce and economic development professional that has performed duties as a Supervisory Manpower Development Specialist with the Department of Employment Services in Washington, D.C., and as a Business Development Coordinator with the City of Savannah. Rob has a passion for financial planning and has worked as a financial advisor with both Morgan Stanley and Bank of America Merrill Lynch. He is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel that has led airmen in combat environments, guided multimillion-dollar acquisition programs and trained navigators in the B-1B and B-52G.
Joy Marshall, Recording Secretary
Joy Marshall is a visionary who takes concepts and ideas and executes them to reality through sound strategy development. Following her motto “Consult, collaborate, advise, and deliver” she identifies opportunities for improvement for a positive impact on any operation. Respected as a dependable voice in decision making, thought partnership, and establishing governance controls and procedures, Joy is a leader as well as contributor wherever she goes. Currently, Joy serves as Program and Performance Administrator for the newly chartered city of South Fulton, the fifth-largest city in the State of Georgia with over 100,000 residents, where she oversees the alignment of annual budget performance (FY19 – $98M; FY20 – $105M) to strategic projects and initiatives. She led the successful launch of several transparency initiatives for the City which include their first strategic plan, a 24 hour Citizen Response Center, 311 services, OpenGov, data-driven dashboard reporting, policy development, and other tools in support of enhanced service delivery. Joy also acts as Managing Consultant for shiiift Administrative Management and Consulting firm headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia, ensuring clients have innovative and strategic guidance to manage their businesses and projects for continued growth. Previously, Joy has held roles with the District of Columbia’s Department of Employment Services, Georgia-Pacific, Westin Engineering, the Home Depot/HD Supply, Cousins Properties, where she led teams through administrative support, business process improvement, human resource consulting, staffing, and managing portfolios up to $100M. She began her career in project management at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 1997, where she was responsible for monitoring an annual cost-plus contract of ~$5M for five years. In addition to her Recording Secretary role with the National Forum for Black Public Administrators – Metro Atlanta Chapter (NFBPA-MAC), Joy serves as Community Strategist and Advisor for Chess and Community, is an active member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA), the National Association of Professional Women ( NAPW), and the Project Management Institute (PMI). She is a proud mother, author, mentor and speaker who enjoys traveling. Joy currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.
Tialer Maxwell, Corresponding Secretary/Marketing Chair
Tialer Maxwell, Director of Communications for the Municipal Court of Atlanta is responsible for providing strong and broad communication support while managing the media and internal/external communications. Working to develop and execute processes and projects that support the communications and marketing efforts while overseeing and supervising the social media presence and special events of the Court. Additionally, strategic planning, managing agency partnerships and overall fluidity ensuring the Court’s communications are aligned with the mission and vision. Prior to the Atlanta Municipal Court, Tialer developed integrated branding and marketing strategies for a myriad of company brands, industries, campaigns and initiatives including; the Catalyst Network Foundation (CNF) and the UP Foundation, Combs Wine & Spirits and RJ Reynolds, Morehouse College, Ford Automotive and the CW Network. Tialer has been appointed to spearhead national multi-million dollar brand campaigns and dedicated time to facilitate corporate social responsibility efforts. Tialer began her professional career with RJ Reynold’s Tobacco Inc., servicing Camel, Pall Mall, Snus, Grizzly and more. Her background includes management, marketing and public relations work serving the entertainment industry, CPG, arts, professional sports and nonprofits. Tialer enjoys volunteerism and currently serves as the Education Ambassador for national nonprofit Bright Pink (brightpink.org), where she travels to deploy and lead Brighten UP workshops focused on women between the ages of 18-45. Tialer also serves the community via various organizations: Catalyst Network Foundation, Atlanta Food Bank, as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and more.
Jared C. Fields, Immediate Past President
Jared C. Fields is a graduate of Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, he is originally from Riviera Beach, Florida. Throughout his college career, he has always shown an interest in community service and political activities. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in economics from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. He brings years of leadership experience from several jobs, internships and organizations including The Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Incorporated, National Forum for Black Public Administrators and the Emerging 100 of the 100 Black Men of South Metro Atlanta. Jared also possesses a Masters of Public Administration degree from Ashford University. Jared currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia where he is employed at Cox Media Group as a Senior Buyer. He is a public servant, public speaker and passionate mental health advocate. In 2017, Jared was recognized as one of the top employees in the Department of Public Works for the City of Atlanta. Lastly, in the same year he was also recognized as one of the top public servants in the Metro Atlanta Area by the Young Government Leaders of Atlanta and was one of the recipients of their 40 under 40 awards.
Dr. Kristie Roberts-Lewis, Emerging Leaders Chair
Dr. Kristie Roberts-Lewis has served in institutions of higher learning for nearly two decades and is currently the Chair of the Department of Public Administration, MPA Coordinator & Professor of Public Administration in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies at Point University. Dr. Roberts-Lewis is a dynamic teacher, speaker and spent several years in nonprofit management where she gained expertise in program development, evaluation and grant writing. Dr. Roberts-Lewis has taught courses in Nonprofit Management, Public Policy, Human Resources Management, Leadership, Ethics, Grant Management for Public and Nonprofit Organizations, Program Evaluation and Urban Management to name a few. Dr. Roberts-Lewis’ research interest is focused on social welfare and social equity issues and she has authored numerous articles and book chapters in domestic and international outlets. Dr. Roberts-Lewis believes that “teaching in the academy is the noblest of service, a calling of sorts that simultaneously requires the teacher to impart knowledge and wisdom while committing to a journey of lifelong learning.” Thus, compassion, creativity, and a solid curriculum undergirds her teaching philosophy that every student has the capacity to learn. Dr. Roberts-Lewis is a native of Atlanta Georgia and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Criminal Justice from Fort Valley State University, a Masters of Public Administration Degree from Albany State University with a dual concentration in General and Human Resources Management, a Master of Divinity from Emory University-Candler School of Theology and earned a Ph. D from Jackson State University in Public Policy & Administration and is a Certified Manager through the Institute of Certified Professional Managers. Dr. Roberts-Lewis has also completed post- graduate studies at Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois, Beijing Union University in Beijing, China, Oxford University, Oxford England and a postdoctoral fellowship at Syracuse University, Syracuse New York.
Kenya Jordan Moore
Kenya Moore is an established human resources and workforce development professional and has garnered more than 20 years of expertise in the public sector. Mrs. Moore takes pride in ensuring that organizations hire the right persons for the job and are strategic in their approaches to attract and retain first class employees. Kenya has partnered with various colleges and universities to connect more than 200 students with internship opportunities within the public sector. Mrs. Moore is extremely devoted to her community, where she has served on her neighborhood association’s board as President for two terms. During her tenure as President, she worked collaboratively with local county government to ensure that the needs of neighborhood – and surrounding neighborhoods – were mutually addressed. She holds her Masters degree in Public Administration and is a long-time member of the International Public Management Association of Human Resources (IPMA- HR).