Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi will resign in July to lead Galloway School

In an email shared Thursday afternoon, District 2 Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi announced he would resign from his position in July to serve as the next head of Buckhead’s The Galloway School.

Farokhi’s move opens up the council seat ahead of the November 2025 election, when the mayor and all 16 council seats will be open for reelection. City Council President Doug Shipman announced earlier this month that he would not run for reelection in November. 

Councilmember Farokhi has served as the District 2 representative since his first election in 2017. He represents over 54,000 residents across Candler Park, Inman Park, Old Fourth Ward, Midtown, Poncey-Highland and Downtown Atlanta. 

The lifelong Atlantan will become the Head of School at the Galloway School at the start of the 2025-2026 academic year. He will lead the private school of over 700 students, known for alumni like Martin Luther King III. Farokhi will take over the role of Dr. James Calleroz-White, who announced in November that he would step down from the role at the end of the school year after leading Galloway since 2018. 

Farokhi explained in the email why the new job is a full-circle moment for him: 

Galloway holds a special place in my heart. In 1983, I started kindergarten at the school. For the next 13 years, Galloway was my home. It was a remarkable, sometimes magical, education. Welcoming, joyful, experiential, student-centered, and rigorous. I loved going to school every day. Students were trusted. Curiosity was rewarded. Into adulthood, I realized that, at its best, it was among the best progressive educations in the country.

Since he graduated in 1996, Amir Farokhi has served two terms on the school’s Board of Trustees and founded the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. His mother, Beth Farokhi, also served as Head of School at Galloway from 2010-2012.

In a public announcement, the Galloway School Board members said they were “struck by his commitment to deliver both immediate impacts as well as a longer-term, aspirational” vision for the school. 

Farokhi will leave behind eight years of work as the first Iranian-American elected official in the south. During his tenure, the council launched one of the largest guaranteed income programs in the country, created an arts and culture fund for the district, created a first-time public safety housing program and pushed for sidewalk repairs. He has also been a longtime advocate for Beltline Rail. 

The councilmember said leaving the elected role behind is not an easy decision. In his statement, Farokhi thanked his constituents for their support and sent love to his district: 

Atlanta has its faults but remains at the precipice of being a great American city. I hope I have used my time at City Hall to push us in that direction. May we always choose high expectations over timidity and convenience. 

Farokhi will offer refunds to anybody who donated to his reelection campaign for 2025. The remaining cash will go to community impact initiatives, including supporting candidates under 40 running for municipal office in Georgia.