Organization
Management Profiles
Director:
Matthew Dickison
Matthew.Dickison@GwinnettCounty.com
Matthew Dickison was appointed Director of the Department of Planning and Development in May 2023. He first joined the Planning and Development Department in 2021 as Deputy Director and was promoted to Assistant Director in 2022. In his new role, Matt will provide leadership and strategic direction to all divisions within the department.
Prior to joining Gwinnett County, Matt served as Planning and Development Director for the city of Chamblee, Georgia, and an associate planner at Clark Patterson Lee and Associates. He has also served in leadership positions in the cities of Dunwoody, Johns Creek, and Suwanee. He began his planning career working for the city of Louisville, Kentucky. Matt is a professionally certified planner with a bachelor’s degree in geography and a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of Louisville. He also holds a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois.
Deputy Director:
Chris Hayward
Chris.Hayward@GwinnettCounty.com
Chris Hayward began working as the Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Development in 2018. Chris provides leadership and oversight to the Administration, Building, Code Enforcement, and Housing and Community Development Divisions. He is also responsible for managing the department’s budget, technology enhancements, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Prior to working with Gwinnett, Chris served in various capacities in the Office of the Chief Operating Officer for DeKalb County, assisting with project management, economic development, strategic planning, and policy development. He has a juris doctor and bachelor’s degree from the University of Georgia with a major in economics and a minor in English. He is also an active member of the International City and County Management Association.
Deputy Director:
Roman Dakare
Roman.Dakare@gwinnettcounty.com
Deputy Director:
Cyndi Sloan
Cyndi.Sloan@GwinnettCounty.com
Cyndi Sloan became a Division Director for the Department of Planning and Development in 2020. She is responsible for management of development plan review, water and sewer plan review, stormwater plan review, and development inspections.
Cyndi has a wealth of government experience including holding various positions in the Planning and Development Divisions in Gwinnett County. She also worked with the engineering firm Travis Pruitt and Associates, Inc. for fifteen years, where her responsibilities included design, planning, due diligence, and code research. Cyndi earned a bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from the University of Georgia and is a registered landscape architect and a certified arborist.
Administration Division Director:
Kerry Welch
Kerry.Welch@GwinnettCounty.com
Kerry Welch has served as the Administration Division Director for the Planning and Development Department since 2019, overseeing the customer service, procurement, and human resources functions in the department.
Kerry began her career with Gwinnett County in 2018 in the Information Technology Services Department as a Business Relationship Consultant. She has over 12 years of experience in the private sector within the software as a service solutions industry of facilities management as Operations Director and Account Management Director. She holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics with an emphasis in statistics from Colorado State University, and a master's in business administration from Western Governors University.
Building Division Director:
Todd Herget
Todd.Herget@GwinnettCounty.com
Todd Herget became a Division Director for the Planning and Development Department in 2018. He oversees building and fire plan review, building inspections, permitting, and business licensing.
Todd has worked with Gwinnett County since 1998 and has served in local government since 1985. He has served as a Chief Building Official, Plans Examiner, Senior Inspector, and Chief Building Inspector during his career.
Todd earned an associate degree from Daytona Beach Community College. He has received certification as a Building Official from the International Code Congress and holds multiple building code administration licenses from the State of Florida. He is also a member of the Metro Atlanta Inspector’s Association and Building Officials Association of Georgia.
Code Enforcement Division Director:
Jessica Watson
Jessica.Watson@GwinnettCounty.com
Jessica Watson became a Division Director for the Planning and Development Department in 2022. She is responsible for providing leadership and support to assigned staff, managing special projects, and promoting and maintaining the Gwinnett Standard of excellence in the Code Enforcement Division.
Jessica has worked in local government since 2008 and served in multiple positions for the City of Norcross and Lawrenceville as a planner, senior code enforcement officer, and code enforcement supervisor.
Jessica earned an associate degree from Liberty University in Business Administration and is certified through the Georgia Association of Code Enforcement.
Housing and Community Development Division Director:
Matt Elder
Matthew.Elder@GwinnettCounty.com
Matt Elder joined the Planning and Development Department in 2022 as the Housing and Community Development Division Director. He is responsible for administering grant funds awarded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development through Community Development Block Grants, Emergency Solutions Grants, the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, and other programs.
Matt has worked on housing and community development issues in Gwinnett County for nearly a decade in various roles. He most recently served as the Director of HomeFirst Gwinnett with a primary focus on the issue of homelessness.
Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in public administration from Georgia College & State University.
Economic Development Manager:
Mark Farmer
678.518.6217
404.242.8439 (cell)
Mark.Farmer@gwinnettcounty.com
As part of a team charged with enhancing economic development in Gwinnett, Mark Farmer focuses on redevelopment, entrepreneurship, and research reports. He joined the County in January 2017, after serving for six years as director of entrepreneurship and information services and three years as research manager for Partnership Gwinnett, a public-private economic development initiative.
His 20-plus years of business experience include owning Words & Pictures, a writing and photography business with such clients as Emory University’s Public Health magazine, Georgia Tech, and the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games.
Mark has also held positions with Life University’s public relations and photography departments, MARTA, Hayes Microcomputer Products, the Powell Goldstein law firm, and Multimedia, Inc. He holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of South Carolina and an M.A. in economic development policy from Georgia Tech.
Economic Development Manager:
Shantell R. Wilson
678.518.6212
678.234.0961 (cell)
Shantell.Wilson@gwinnettcounty.com
With a focus on strategic industries, Shantell Wilson’s is responsible for sales and marketing, business retention, and incentive negotiations. She came to work for Gwinnett County in 2016.
Shantell’s economic development career began with the Georgia Department of Economic Development in 2004 where she served first as research and existing industry specialist, assisting with major projects such as the Kia Motors Manufacturing facility, and later as operations manager of the Governor’s Mentor Protégé Program.
In October 2006, Shantell was hired as project manager for the Savannah Economic Development Authority and worked with sales and marketing to create more than 1,600 jobs and approximately $739 million in investment. She was promoted to the role of assistant director of established business and manager of minority recruitment, responsible for providing guidance to companies through the incentives process and assisting them with access to resources.
Shantell joined Partnership Gwinnett in February 2015 as senior project manager of advanced manufacturing and supply chain. While there, she assisted with the location of 4,000 jobs and more than $250 million in capital investment.
Shantell graduated from Georgia Southern University with a bachelor’s degree in business administration in economic development and holds an MBA from Walden University. She is a member of the Georgia Economic Developers Association, International Economic Development Council, Gwinnett Young Professionals, and the International Council for Shopping Centers.
Shantell resides in Duluth with her daughter.
