DeKalb County CEO names first chief sustainability officer, announces energy manager and renames Sanitation Department

DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson announced that Liza Milagro will join the county as its first Chief Sustainability Officer and that Arturo Pereira will serve as the county's energy manager, and she said the county’s Sanitation Department will be renamed the Department of Solid Waste Management. "I'm excited to introduce two new leaders who will help shape DeKalb County's future," Cochran-Johnson said in the announcement.

The hires and the departmental name change are part of what the CEO described as a push to make county government "innovative, efficient, and focused on the future," with a stronger emphasis on sustainability and environmental stewardship. Cochran-Johnson said the new roles will support goals related to energy and resource management, operational efficiency and overall quality of life for residents.

Cochran-Johnson described Milagro as having more than 15 years of experience leading sustainability, resilience and climate-action initiatives across public and private sectors. The CEO said Milagro's prior work has "impacted more than 110 million people annually" and "supported over 10 billion in infrastructure investments"; she also highlighted Milagro's work at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, where programs the CEO described as achieving a 58% waste-diversion rate and diverting more than 1 million meals to families in need. The announcement identified Milagro as the creator of the #greeningATL initiative and noted awards including environmental leader of the year and recognition as a United Nations Sustainable Development Goals Ambassador.

Cochran-Johnson introduced Arturo Pereira as the county's energy manager, saying he brings experience in facilities management, operations and project implementation and that he will work to improve energy efficiency, reduce operational costs and identify resilience and sustainability opportunities at county facilities.

On departmental organization, the CEO said the Sanitation Department "will now be known as the Department of Solid Waste Management," noting that services will remain the same but that the new name better reflects the department's work in waste reduction, recycling, environmental compliance and resource management. The announcement did not provide start dates for the new hires or a timeline for implementing the departmental name change.

Cochran-Johnson closed by saying these changes represent the county's commitment to "responsible, forward-thinking government" and that she looks forward to sharing more details about the work ahead and its impact on residents.