Beltline taps interim CEO, searches for permanent one

The Atlanta Beltline has named an interim leader as it starts a national search for its next chief executive.

Atlanta Beltline Inc. said in a news release Thursday that Clyde Higgs, the agency’s chief operating officer, will serve as interim CEO as it looks for a permanent replacement for outgoing CEO Brian McGowan.

McGowan announced in July he will take the role of CEO at Greater Seattle Partners, an economic development cooperative in Washington state. McGowan’s last day at the Beltline is Aug. 17.

Higgs was expected to land the interim leadership role. Higgs joined the organization in 2015 after helping steer a multibillion dollar public-private redevelopment program in North Carolina.

“As an essential part of the ABI leadership team, Clyde has demonstrated a steadfast commitment to ensuring the Beltline remains true to its mission and vision,” Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms said in a statement. “The Beltline is physically connecting Atlanta’s many diverse communities and neighbor- hoods, and it is important to have a leader in place who understands the significance of accomplishing this goal.”

The Beltline is a more than $5 billion revitaliza- tion project including trails, parks, environmental reme- diation, affordable housing and transit.

The c hange in Belt- line leadership comes as MARTA is expected to soon announce its $2.6 billion tran- sit expansion plan, which could include rapid transit on parts of the 22-mile loop of the city. Supporters have pressed MARTA to complete the loop with light rail.

CONTRIBUTED Clyde Higgs, chief operating officer of the Atlanta Beltline, has been appointed as interim CEO as the agency plans to conduct a national search for a new leader to succeed outgoing chief Brian McGowan.