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Gerald McDowell

Executive Director
ATL Airport Community Improvement Districts
Atlanta, Georgia, United States

“It’s kind of fun to do the impossible” is the mindset of the well-respected and acclaimed industry expert for community and city improvements, Gerald McDowell. This Walt Disney mindset is attributed to much of McDowell’s success and the all-inclusive idea of raising the collective value of communities.

McDowell, a graduate of DeVry University in Atlanta, received his B.S. in Computer Information Systems in 1987. For over 18 years, McDowell evolved in the IT industry, effectively managing over 75 projects, and roughly 120 employees, in more than 40 states and 12 countries. His adaptability to manage people and projects with various cultures speaks volumes in his ability to lead and support people and communities successfully.

McDowell made a significant career transition when he incorporated his IT skills and leadership capabilities into the world of community improvement and development. He began with the Gwinnett Village CID (now Gateway 85 CID) and Gwinnett Village Community Alliance where he served as a Director of Community Development for four years.

With such astonishing achievements being recognized throughout the community, McDowell was recruited to spearhead the Lilburn Community Improvement District. He proudly served as their first Executive Director, for five years, and was instrumental in securing over $2 million in grant funding.

His positive execution as a community leader sparked another opportunity in 2015 when he was again recruited to serve as the Executive Director of the Airport West CID. In 2016, this organization joined the Airport South CID to become the Aerotropolis Atlanta CIDs (now ATL Airport CIDs). Under McDowell’s leadership, the ATL Airport CIDs have received more than $100 million in grants and project funding. He manages the operations and development of both Airport West and Airport South CIDs, and he is responsible for an operational budget of $3.5 million.

McDowell has spoken both domestically and internationally on various community improvement topics including technology, transit and transportation, safety, infrastructure, and wayfinding. Some of his keynotes or panel roles consist of the 2016 Sustainable Airport Area Seminar, focusing on issues related to workforce development, transportation, and urban design, the 2016 Aerotropolis Asia Conference in Singapore, the 2017 Aerotropolis Asia Conference in Malaysia, the 2017 Automated Driving Systems in Washington, D.C., 2017 Metro Atlanta Redevelopment Summit, and 2018 State of Aerotropolis in Atlanta, GA., 2019, 2021 and 2023 PODCAR City Conferences.

His leadership has been recognized by various organizations with awards such as serving as a member of the inaugural USDOT Leadership Academy conducted by U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, 2008 graduate of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development, 2009 graduate of the Gwinnett Neighborhood Leadership Institute, 2015 South Fulton Chamber Award, 2016 ABL Award, 2018-2023 Notable Georgian by Georgia Trend, and 2019 graduate of Leadership Atlanta, the inaugural CID Professional Excellence Award 2020, 2022 Georgia 500 and 2023 Georgia Titan 100.

He currently serves on the boards for the Aerotropolis Atlanta Alliance, Council for Quality Growth, Georgia Foreign Trade Zone, New Life Community Alliance, Project ReStart, and the Georgia Titan 100.

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