By Milton Kirby | Decatur, GA | September 10, 2025

DeKalb County CEO Lorraine Cochran-Johnson has unveiled a wide-ranging government reform plan following the release of a landmark organizational assessment conducted by independent consulting firm Mauldin & Jenkins.

The evaluation, commissioned as part of her transition strategy, reviewed 18 county departments and produced 266 actionable recommendations to modernize operations, increase efficiency, and strengthen accountability.

“As I shared in my first budget proposal, this assessment was never about pointing fingers, it was about building a stronger foundation for DeKalb’s future,” Cochran-Johnson said. “With this report, we now have a clear, data-informed roadmap to reimagine how we serve, how we lead, and how we grow.”

The recommendations call for improvements in leadership alignment, service delivery, process modernization, technology integration, workflow optimization, and risk management. To ensure follow-through, the CEO’s office will appoint a Change Manager tasked with coordinating efforts, tracking progress, and reporting updates to the Board of Commissioners and the public.

“This is a pivotal moment for DeKalb County,” Cochran-Johnson added. “We now have the blueprint and the will. What comes next is execution—and that will require focus, discipline, and collaboration at every level of government.”

County officials say implementation will begin immediately, with the goal of building a more transparent and responsive government that can better serve DeKalb’s nearly 800,000 residents.