DeKalb Advisory Committee Meeting with Deputy COO for Development Luz Borrero and Director of Planning and Sustainability Andrew Baker
Luz Borrero is the deputy chief operating officer for Development for DeKalb County. Under her oversight are the departments of Community Development and Human Services, Planning and Sustainability, Geographic Information Systems, PDK Airport, Economic Development, and Workforce Development. Borrero is directing the development of a comprehensive strategic plan for economic development. as well as the overhaul of the permitting and business license operations. Her goals is to support the growth of the county by establishing efficient services with high quality customer service in a business-friendly environment.
Borrero was a vice president with Purpose Built Communities from December 2010 to November 2012. In that role she provided consulting assistance, capacity building and technical support to local leaders interested in undertaking large scale neighborhood revitalization projects in cities across the country.
She previously served as deputy chief operating officer for the city of Atlanta for seven years. As a key member of Mayor Shirley Franklin’s leadership team, Borrero oversaw several city departments and directed large-scale business transformation projects.
Projects completed under her direction included: The planning and implementation of the Oracle Enterprise Resource system; a $65 million city-wide business and technology platform linking Procurement, Finance and Human Resources functions; the Digital Radio Communications project, a $41 million digital technology and business operations upgrade of the Public Safety communications system, and the assessment and technology upgrade of the e911 Call Center. She played a central role in coordinating homeland security and emergency response functions for the city and developed and implemented the plan for expanding Metro Atlanta’s Urban Area Security Initiative (UASI). Borrero was in charge of the city’s transportation strategy and led the successful effort to plan for and secure a $47 million federal transportation grant to implement the first phase of the Atlanta streetcar.
Borrero is a former board president of the Atlanta Women’s Network, and has served in numerous non-profit boards including the Georgia Conservancy, the Atlanta Falcons Youth Foundation, Columbia Northlake Regional Hospital and CIFAL Atlanta. She currently serves on the boards of Visiting Nurse Health Association, AECT (WABE- Atlanta) and the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.
Borrero obtained a degree in law and political science from the University of Santiago de Cali, in Cali, Colombia. She did postgraduate studies in agricultural economics and international economics at the University of Montpellier and at the Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques Méditerranéens de Montpellier in France. Borrero is fluent in English, French and Spanish.
Andrew Baker serves as the director of Planning and Sustainability for DeKalb County. As director of Planning and Sustainability, Andrew manages long range planning, current planning, building services, neighborhood empowerment and code compliance. Andrew joined DeKalb County in June 2006 as the associate director of Planning.
Prior to joining DeKalb County, Andrew worked for the City of Columbia in South Carolina as a community development specialist and later as a zoning analyst. In addition, Andrew worked for the Hillsborough County City-County Planning Commission in Tampa, Florida where he oversaw comprehensive plans, subdivision coordination, and zoning reviews. His extensive background in urban planning also includes more than 20 years of experience in the private sector. Andrew started A.A. Baker and Associates, Inc. in February 1994, and operated the business for 12 years. With a specialty in zoning, public facilitation and redevelopment plans, he subcontracted work to economists, landscape architects and facilitators. Andrew also worked throughout Florida on community redevelopment plans, zoning code updates and master plans, and served as a member of program management teams for HOPE VI projects in Detroit, MI; Pittsburgh, PA; Santa Fe, NM; Punta Gorda, FL and Tampa, FL.
Andrew has a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Maryville College in Tennessee and a master's degree in Urban Planning from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He is AICP certified and serves on a division of the National American Planning Association.
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