CEO Thurmond Appoints Permanent Chief Procurement Officer

DECATUR, GA. — DeKalb CEO Michael Thurmond has appointed Cathryn G. Horner the permanent chief procurement officer and head of the county’s Purchasing and Contracting Department. Horner had been serving as interim chief procurement officer since November 2019.

“Cathryn Horner has worked in the Purchasing and Contracting Department for over 15 years,” CEO Thurmond said. “Her wealth of knowledge and steady leadership over the last seven months have led to the reorganization of a department that has labored under the perception of dysfunction and corruption.”

As chief procurement officer, Horner manages a department of 40 employees, an annual budget of $3 million and $149 million in contracts.

Since 2004, Horner has served as a procurement manager, special projects manager and a senior procurement agent.

“Ms. Horner is creating a department that is focused on enhancing transparency, accountability and integrity in a critical area of our government,” CEO Thurmond said. “She has led a thorough evaluation of DeKalb’s Local Small Business Enterprise program and implemented significant changes to ensure that vendors, contractors and taxpayers are being properly served.”

Before joining DeKalb County Government, Horner worked as an automation planning analyst with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta from 2002-2004.

She is a certified professional public buyer and a graduate of Wesleyan College in Macon.