Anna Roach selected to lead Atlanta Regional Commission

The board of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) has voted in a new executive director, Anna Roach. Roach will replace retiring agency head Doug Hooker.

Following a national search, Roach, 47, becomes the first woman to lead ARC — a quasi-governmental agency that creates reports and convenes elected officials to tackle some of the metro area’s greatest concerns. Before selecting Roach, the ARC screened 20 candidates and interviewed 14 people. The ARC will finalize Roach’s employment agreement and establish a timeline for her to take over, ARC board Chair Ken Armstrong said after the vote.

Roach plans to join the ARC in February to allow a smooth transition, according to a news release announcing the vote. Roach’s priorities include promoting housing access and health equity while developing a highly skilled workforce and finding “common ground on the best path forward for transit in the Atlanta region.”

Roach began her career with Fulton County government nearly a decade ago. She has served in the role of Fulton’s Chief Operating Officer since 2017. As COO for Fulton County, Roach oversaw the spending of hundreds of millions of dollars in capital projects. Roach will bring to the ARC role experience she gained from Fulton including managing 4,500 employees and a budget of $1.2 billion. 

Roach takes over for Doug Hooker, who has led ARC since 2011. He announced in April 2021 that he would retire in March 2022. 

According to her resume, Roach was an administrative law judge for New York City, an assistant dean/faculty member for Greater Atlanta Christian Schools, assistant deputy general counsel for the District of Columbia and director at a management firm before joining Fulton government in 2013 as assistant county manager. In 2015, the county manager promoted Roach to Chief Strategy Officer. 

Roach resides in South Fulton with her husband and four children.