Richmond County Commissioners have voted 9-to-1 to hire Odie Donald II as Augusta’s new city administrator. He’ll be the highest paid administrator in the city to date with a salary of $240,000.
In recent weeks, it had been announced that Donald was also a finalist for the same position in Savannah, Ga. He has been South Fulton’s city manager since March 2018.
Donald will replace Janice Jackson who resigned last year under pressure. Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis, Jr. welcomed Donald to the city last night in a tweet.
South Fulton Mayor William “Bill” Edwards will be tasked with appointing a new city manager. His selection will be subject to confirmation by the City Council.
In the role of South Fulton’s city manager, Donald has been at the helm of 11 departments and 600 employees. His departure comes on the heels of the passing of the FY21 budget and in the middle of the city’s COVID-19 response.
Before his arrival in South Fulton, Donald previously served as the director of the Department of Employment Services for the District of Columbia and as executive director of the DC Workforce Investment Council. He also worked for the Georgia Department of Economic Development as the Workforce Services director and served as executive director of Coastal Workforce Services in Savannah from July 2013 to March 2015. He received his Master of Business Administration and his bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University.
Photo: Odie Donald II