James Garland is the Assistant Commissioner at the Atlanta Department of Transportation (ATLDOT), where he provides executive leadership across a broad portfolio that includes planning, operations, engineering, and project delivery. In this role, he is helping shape a more efficient, responsive, and high-performing organization by strengthening internal coordination, improving business processes, advancing strategic priorities, and supporting the delivery of transportation improvements that better serve the City of Atlanta.
He brings almost 25 years of senior leadership experience in transportation, infrastructure, and public-sector administration at the federal, regional, and local levels. Prior to joining ATLDOT, he held executive and senior leadership roles within the U.S. Department of Transportation, including the Federal Railroad Administration in the Senior Executive Series, as well as key roles with the Federal Transit Administration, Federal Highway Administration, and the Houston-Galveston Area Council/Metropolitan Planning Organization. Across these roles, he led complex organizations and multidisciplinary teams responsible for transportation planning, capital program implementation, engineering oversight, grant management, regulatory coordination, and policy execution.
Throughout his career, Mr. Garland has built a strong reputation for improving organizational effectiveness, leading through complexity, and aligning strategy with execution. His leadership has consistently focused on building stronger teams, modernizing systems, improving decision-making, and creating clearer pathways for implementation in challenging public-sector environments, including collaboration with the private sector.
At ATLDOT, he draws on that experience to help lead a large and diverse portfolio of responsibilities while positioning the organization for greater efficiency, stronger performance, and long-term success. His career reflects a deep capacity to lead complex public institutions, manage cross-functional operations, and drive organizational transformation at scale. He earned his undergraduate degree from Dillard University and his masters degree from Columbia University.
