The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners appointed Juliana Njoku as its new Director of the Department of Planning and Development during its voting session on Tuesday, May 9, 2023.
Njoku has 25 years of experience in public administration, planning and development, economic development and Six Sigma Green Belt Process Improvement.
The new director also holds a graduate certification in Sustainability and Innovation from Harvard University, and a bachelor’s degree in government and politics from the University of Maryland.
Njoku shared her desire to connect community with strategic plans for future growth in the vision set by BOC Chair Oz Nesbitt Sr., and the Post 1 and Post 2 commissioners as a top objective in her new role.
“I’m super excited about Rockdale. The vision that you guys have for the county is really quite outstanding, and you guys are sitting in a really great position to do so,” she said Tuesday.
“It is my hope that myself with the planning team would be able to add value, and bring things together to make sure that we have a comprehensive view of what the county would look like. Making sure that it meets the needs of each one of the directors here, which means transportation to water works, so that we can further serve the citizens in a more efficient way.”
Housing and zoning were among the top concerns that Commissioner Doreen Williams said she hopes to see Njoku address.
“We discussed the fact that housing and zoning issues have been really front center in the last year or two and will continue to be,” Williams said.
“So that’s why this Comprehensive Plan update is going to be so important in identifying specific areas for different types of housing because we know we need some other types of housing, there’s gaps in our housing so I am looking forward to having you on board and welcome.”