Former pastor to lead S. Rome Redevelopment
Charles Looney will start his new job Monday
Charles Looney, formerly the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, has been hired as the new executive director of the South Rome Redevelopment Corp.
Rome Community Development Director Bekki Fox and her staff have been handling day-to-day operations for the organization since Melissa Jones resigned in September 2013.
Jones and her predecessors, Karen Moore and Roman Herrington, were all considered city employees.
Looney will start Monday and work out of an office in the Carnegie Building, 607 Broad St., until a permanent office can be arranged. He will be the first director of the SRRC who is not a city of Rome employee.
The redevelopment corporation has been able to build a foundation after receiving developers’ fees related to the Etowah Terrace project — an apartment complex for low-to-moderate income seniors.
“I’m really interested in being able to effect positive change,” Looney said. “There’s a real sense that I can address real needs and quality of life for people.”
Looney has been pastor of Covenant Presbyterian Church, 1645 U.S. 411, for a little over three years and is leaving the pastorate to take the SRRC post.
“I enjoyed my time as a pastor, but there are a lot of things I can still do as a volunteer,” he said.
“I am excited to see where Charles’ vision and experience in project management and building relationships can take this organization and community,” said Ralph Davis, chairman of
the SRRC board of directors in a news release. “With four construction projects underway, continued growth and success at the South Rome Early Learning Center and a long-standing partnership with the city of Rome, having a strong individual in this leadership role is vital to our continued success,”
Brent Bell, head of the SRRC executive director search team, said in the release that Looney would drive revitalization initiatives related to housing, education and community-wellness components.
“He will ensure that people in the targeted neighborhoods are engaged, included and served,” Bell said.
Originally from Irmo, South Carolina, Looney is a graduate of Montreat College and holds a Master of Divinity degree from Covenant Theological Seminary and a certified associate in project management.
The South Rome Redevelopment effort started when the city passed a resolution in August 2002 creating a quasi-governmental agency to lead the effort. The organizational effort took about six months and Herrington came on board as its first director in May 2003.