Atlanta Hires "Chief Bicycle Officer"

Atlanta’s cycling community now has a representative working at City Hall.

Becky Katz, who was most recently working as a visioning and grants manager at Park Pride, has been tapped to become the city’s first-ever ”Chief Bicycle Officer,” the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition reports. Katz’s first day on the job is Oct. 14.

“We are pleased to have Becky Katz join the City as the Chief Bicycle Officer,” Mayor Kasim Reed said in a statement. “With the support of the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation and the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition, this position will be integral to the city’s continued progress on our Cycle Atlanta goals.

Ms. Katz is joining an administration that is energized and organized around the many opportunities before us to make Atlanta the most bikeable, walkable, livable city in the Southeast.”

In her new role, Katz will be responsible for developing projects, engineering and planning bike-friendly initiatives and seeing them through, public outreach, and ensuring that new developments follow the city’s pro-cycling ambiance. Katz will also work to put biking facilities in future capital projects and support bike projects that grow the city’s economy.

Katz holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and a Master of Science degree from King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, both in environmental engineering. Katz has been a longtime volunteer with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.

The Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation is supporting the position through a five-year $250,000 challenge grant to the City through the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition.