BURRELL ELLIS has long been recognized by the citizens of Georgia for the vital role he has played in public service, and for his deep personal commitment to the welfare of all. In 2000, while working as a partner in a national law firm, he was elected to the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners. While on the Commission, his peers selected him to serve for an unprecedented five consecutive years as their Presiding Officer.

In 2008, he was overwhelmingly elected as DeKalb County’s Chief Executive Officer, and then re-elected in 2012. As CEO of DeKaib County, which covers 240 square miles and 12 municipalities including portions of the City of Atlanta, Burrell was responsible for managing the County’s $1.2 Billion annual budget, 7,000 employees, 26 departments, and delivery of services to its 740,000 citizens.

Highlights of his accomplishments include restructuring the county government to improve its efficiency during the economic recession, leading a delegation of core public and private sector officials to Wall Street to meet with credit rating agencies in order to restore the county’s borrowing capacity, and developing jobs stimulus and neighborhood empowerment programs to rebuild the economy and promote civic engagement. When, during his first year as CEO, the county faced an unprecedented flood, he brought together local, state and federal officials to help provide food and shelter to hundreds of displaced residents. His innovative solutions include creation of the Office of Neighborhood Empowerment (ONE DeKalb) as a best practices model in building sustainable public/private partnerships. His signature initiatives in that regard include ONE DeKalb Works (a jobs stimulus program), ONE DeKalb Lives (to provide homeownership incentives for teachers and first responders), and ONE DeKalb Votes (to promote increased opportunities for every qualified resident to vote). In order to further what he believes is local government’s responsibility to ensure every young person has an opportunity to receive a quality education, Burrell developed the DeKalb County Scholarship Program. Working in partnership with the DeKalb County school system, Burrell raised and awarded over $125,000 in college scholarships to 25 deserving graduating high school seniors in the program’s inaugural year.

More recently, he served as the first ever Political Director of the ACLU of Georgia, where he developed and managed the agency’s public policy and advocacy infrastructure, particularly related to criminal justice reform. Having experienced, firsthand, the pain of being unjustly targeted by a broken criminal legal system, Burrell’s commitment to public service extends to reform within that system. A significant portion of his second term in office was interrupted when he was falsely accused by a politically-motivated local district attorney and, after two attempts, wrongfully convicted. As a result, Burrell was suspended, denied an appeal bond and imprisoned. After serving the entirety of the custodial portion of his sentence, the Supreme Court of Georgia unanimously reversed the conviction. In its ruling, the court stated that Ellis had been denied the most fundamental of civil liberties: the right to a fair trial and the opportunity to defend himself.  Burrell returned to office at the end of 2016 and completed the term to which he had been duly elected. All charges against Burrell were subsequently dismissed and his rights, as well as his substantial legal fees, were fully restored and reimbursed by the government.

Currently, Burrell serves as Senior Advisor to the President and Chief Executive Officer of the National Urban League (NUL), leading NUL’s Franchise Inclusion Initiative designed to promote and create economic opportunities for diverse communities through franchise business ownership. Intermittently, he serves as an Adjunct Professor at Georgia State University College of Law. Recently, he conceived and developed a course in Criminal Law Reform examining the role of district attorneys and the impact of the Progressive Prosecution Movement.

Prior to running for public office, Burrell was a partner in the real estate practice group of Epstein, Becker & Green, a national law firm, where he handled complex business and real estate transactions for lenders, owners, builders, and developers of mixed-used, urban, infield properties and large master-planned communities.

Burrell has served in numerous positions of leadership at the regional and national level. His service includes President of the County Executives of America; Executive Committee, Southeast Region Director, and Board of Directors of the National Association of Counties (NACo); Chair of NACo‘s Large Urban County Caucus (representing the 100 largest metropolitan counties in the U.S.); Board of Directors of Association County Commissioners of Georgia (ACCG); Executive Committee of the Georgia Democratic Party; Secretary of the Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC); Board of Directors of 100 Black Men of DeKalb County; and as a troop leader in the Boy Scouts of America. He was selected by as a panel participant in President Obama’s launching of The White House Office of Urban Affairs.

Burrell is a graduate of The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, and received his Doctor of Jurisprudence degree from The University of Texas at Austin. He is a member in good standing of the State Bar of Georgia and the District of Columbia Bar. He and his wife, Philippa, who is also an attorney, are actively engaged in their community and have worked to instill the value of public service in their teenage children.

Multi-Faith Initiative to End Mass Incarceration

Member, National Board of Directors

Mayor’s Task Force to Reimagine The Atlanta City Detention Center

Member, Public Policy Committee

Public Servant of the Year
Nu Mu Lambda Chapter, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity

Sankofa Award
Georgia Piedmont Technical College

Public Official of the Year
Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce