Mayor appoints two high-level positions

Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced two high-level appointments and the corresponding transition of former Chief Equity Officer Rashad Taylor to her executive staff as senior adviser, according to a press release. William L. Hawthorne III has been named chief equity officer and Fatimot Lapido has been named director of intergovernmental affairs.

“I am excited that William Hawthorne and Fatimot Lapido have joined our team and will bring their vast public and private sector expertise to our Administration,” Bottoms said.

As chief equity officer, Hawthorne will oversee the team responsible for realizing Bottoms’ vision for an inclusive Atlanta by defining and operationalizing equity through the City of Atlanta. Prior to his appointment, Hawthorne led New York-based consulting firm D/I Solutions.

As Hawthorne transitions into the chief equity officer role, Taylor will serve as a senior adviser.

As director of intergovernmental affairs, Lapido will oversee the city’s state and federal government affairs team along with the city’s legislative team, which represents the administration before the Atlanta City Council. Lapido most recently served as regional director for external affairs for AT&T where she was responsible for advancing AT&T’s legislative and regulatory agenda at the local and state level. Prior to joining AT&T, Lapido was executive director of government relations for Kennesaw State University.