One of Georgia’s highest-ranking business recruiters has been tapped to lead the economic development division of the Metro Atlanta Chamber.
Kristi Brigman, the second in command at the Georgia Department of Economic Development, was selected as the next chief economic development officer for the Metro Atlanta Chamber, according to a Friday press release. The chamber acts as the civic and business voice of the region’s corporate interests and represents organizations in 29 counties.
Brigman will be tasked with helming the chamber’s economic development strategy and recruiting business to the Atlanta region, according to Katie Kirkpatrick, the chamber’s president and CEO.
“Kristi brings balanced experience and innovative leadership to this team,” Kirkpatrick said in the release. “With a career that spans the legal, private, and public sectors, she brings a statewide perspective that is vital to our work across the metro Atlanta region.”
A former KPMG senior associate specializing in tax consulting, Brigman has been with the Georgia Department of Economic Development since 2019, according to her LinkedIn page. She was promoted to deputy commissioner two years ago, assisting the state’s top recruiter, Commissioner Pat Wilson.
She will succeed David Hartnett, a former biotech and pharmaceutical business leader, who retired Aug. 15 after 18 years with the Metro Atlanta Chamber. Kirkpatrick called him “a passionate and outspoken force for economic development and innovation.”
“His relentless drive helped us join forces with our partners to create tens of thousands of jobs and transform metro Atlanta’s economic landscape,” she continued.
Brigman, a Rome native, holds both a Juris Doctor and a Master’s in Accounting from the University of Georgia. She was selected because of her background in state economic development and tax consulting, which the chamber said “means she will bring valuable insights to this vital leadership position.”
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