Atlanta, Georgia · Elyria, Ohio
Public Servant.
City Builder.
Activator.
Frank Whitfield is a public-sector leader working at the intersection of local government, community development, and the land itself — a former mayor, an economic development executive, and the steward of a working community farm. His career is built on a simple conviction: cities are built by people who stay.
Now
Whitfield serves as Acting Director of Economic Development for the City of East Point, Georgia, where he leads the city's work in business attraction, downtown revitalization, and housing and community development. His portfolio spans federal housing compliance, tax allocation districts, small business support, and the civic infrastructure — boards, authorities, and partnerships — that makes development actually happen.
Before Georgia, he was elected Mayor of Elyria, Ohio — the first African American and the first independent elected to that office — leading a city of 54,000 through budget recovery, infrastructure investment, and a pandemic.
He brings deep working expertise in affordable housing finance and federal compliance, including LIHTC, HUD environmental review, CDBG, HOME, and the Uniform Relocation Act — the unglamorous machinery of community development, where communities are won or lost.
The Path
Acting Director of Economic Development — East Point, GA
Leading economic development, downtown revitalization, and housing & community development for a city at the heart of the aerotropolis — from major redevelopment projects to small business grants and federal housing compliance.
City of Elyria, Ohio
The first African American and first independent elected Mayor of Elyria. Led city operations, budget stewardship, and community investment for a city of 54,000 — including navigating the COVID-19 pandemic at the local level.
Lorain County Urban League
President & CEO — the youngest in the organization's history. Led workforce development, housing counseling, and civil rights advocacy for Lorain County.
Nord Family Foundation Fellowship
Selected as a Nord Family Foundation Fellow, an experience that deepened his grounding in community leadership and philanthropy in Lorain County.
The Farm
Atlanta Good Shepherd Community Farm is a working farm and ministry of Good Shepherd Community Church on Lawton Street in southwest Atlanta. Whitfield manages the farm's operations — growing food and growing people through hands-on workshops, sustainable agriculture practices, and neighborhood partnership.
The farm is where his public work becomes personal. Economic development is about land, food, health, and ownership — and there is no better classroom for all four than a field that feeds its own neighborhood.
Grow
Seasonal production using regenerative and permaculture practices, from compost systems to companion planting.
Teach
Workshops and training in sustainable farm practices for neighbors, volunteers, and aspiring growers.
Gather
A ministry of Good Shepherd Community Church — the farm is a place of fellowship, service, and shared work.
Leadership
Servant First
Whitfield's leadership begins with service. Before strategy or position comes the question of who is being served: listening deeply, removing barriers, and putting people ahead of politics and credit.
Vision That Pulls
Second comes vision: a clear, exciting picture of where a community is headed, compelling enough to keep people motivated through the hard middle of the work.
Lead With Strengths
Trained in the CliftonStrengths paradigm, Whitfield builds teams around what people do best: lean into strengths, leverage them fully, and manage weaknesses rather than being ruled by them.
