About our CAO
Odie Donald II is a nationally recognized public sector leader whose career is defined by transforming underperforming organizations into high-performing, community-driven institutions — streamlining operations, modernizing services and strengthening public trust in ways constituents can see and feel.
Donald serves as the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) for the city of Richmond, Virginia under Mayor Danny Avula. In this role, he oversees the day-to-day operations for Virginia’s capital city with 4,000 employees, 26 departments, and a budget of $3.4 billion. Since joining the city, Donald has enhanced emergency operations standing up Richmond’s first Multi Agency Coordination Center, the home for emergency operations, at city hall. Donald has also set new standards for citizen engagement and reporting, issuing reports on service impacts ranging from federal government shutdowns, emergency operations, and fiscal stewardship. Under his leadership, the $3.4 billion FY2027 budget was passed unanimously by the City Council, the City issued more than 250,000 tax bills, received an unmodified opinion on the FY2025 ACFR, and received the GFOA FY2026 Distinguished Budget Presentation Award recognizing excellence in budget transparency and reporting.
Previously, as Chief of Staff to Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens, Donald secured more than $1.6 billion in state, federal and private investment, shepherded four consecutive balanced budgets at record revenue levels and grew the city's rainy-day fund to its largest in history — all with unanimous City Council support. He developed a Local Option Sales Tax model adopted by localities across the state, launched the Atlanta Department of Labor and Employment Services, oversaw a Summer Youth Employment Program serving 7,500 young people annually, while standing up the Midnight Basketball Program and Nightlife Division — contributing to significant reductions in crime. He is also credited with leveraging strong negotiation skills to neutralize the Buckhead City secession campaign.
As Administrator for Augusta-Richmond County, Donald improved the Municipal Airport's bond rating to BBB+, earned the GFOA Certificate of Excellence, administered $150 million in ARPA funding and passed the county's largest-ever SPLOST referendum at 72% — with capital projects valued at $250 million. He also launched policy innovations that include a body camera pilot, a $15 minimum wage, a countywide non-discrimination ordinance and Augusta's first comprehensive blight ordinance.
As the first City Manager of South Fulton — Georgia's fifth-largest city — Donald helped take the City from vision to reality, establishing eleven departments ahead of statutory deadlines, eliminated a $25 million deficit and delivered the city's first positive fund balance of $45 million in FY2021. He also led historic reductions in crime and land acquisitions including the last unincorporated portion of Fulton Industrial, the single most valuable unincorporated parcel in the Southeast United States.
An active civic leader, Donald is Vice Chair of the Greater Richmond Convention Center Authority and serves on the boards of the Georgia State University Alumni Board, the Greater Richmond Transit Company, the Greater Richmond Partnership, Virginia's First Cities, the Shockoe Institute, and the 100 Black Men of Greater Richmond. He holds a BA in History and an MBA from Georgia State University, and has been recognized as a Georgia Trend 40 Under 40 honoree (2015), and GSU's inaugural 40 Under 40 class (2018).
