Atlanta City Council Member Amir Farokhi announced Thursday, Feb. 27, he would be stepping down from his seat this summer so he can become the next head of school at Galloway School.
Farokhi was first elected to the council in 2017 and then re-elected in 2021. He represents District 2, which includes Downtown, Midtown, Old Fourth Ward, Inman Park, Poncey-Highland and Candler Park.
Galloway School is located in Buckhead’s Chastain Park. Farokhi’s mother, Beth Farokhi, was head of school from 2010-2012. Farokhi attended Galloway School from kindergarten through high school and has also served on the school’s board of trustees.
In an email to constituents, Farokhi said being named the new head of school at Galloway is a “humbling moment” but also “bittersweet” because he would not be running for another term on the council.
He said he would serve on the council through July before resigning to lead the school into the 2025-2026 academic year. His chief of staff, Jay Tribby, will remain on the job for constituent services through the end of 2025.
“[W]hile the unexpected opportunity to lead the school has called to me, the decision to leave public service behind is not an easy one,” Farokhi said. “Serving our city has been a dream and an honor.
“The district I represent is the most dynamic and livable in Atlanta. It has added people faster than any part of the city over the last 20 years. When people visit Atlanta, they come to our neighborhoods,” Farokhi said. “Together, we have led Atlanta and the South with what urban life should look like: walkable, inclusive, safe, diverse, and economically and culturally vibrant.”
Last August, the school made the controversial decision to demolish the historic Gresham Building to make way for a new, bigger school building. The current head of school, Dr. James Calleroz White, said the building was in poor shape and could not be saved as part of the school’s planned expansion.
White announced last year he was stepping down as Galloway’s head of school to take a new job in New Jersey. He came to Galloway in 2018.
A month after the demolition, the Atlanta City Council approved rezoning the Galloway School as its own special public interest district, angering many residents who live around Chastain Park.
Farokhi’s mother as head of school at Galloway, led the effort to get the Gresham Building listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
