Author: Gwinnett County Homes

Gwinnett County Board of Commissioners ratified employment agreements County Administrator Glenn Stephens executed with two new department directors.
Rebecca Shelton was named director of the Department of Water Resources after having served as acting director since last July.
Matthew Dickison was promoted to director of the Department of Planning and Development Department following Susan Canon’s recent retirement. 
Rebecca Shelton named Director of Water Resources
Shelton started her career as a utility planner at what was then known as the Gwinnett County Department of Public Utilities. After climbing the ranks within the industry and serving in various roles, including in the cities of Atlanta and Alpharetta and an engineering firm, she returned to Gwinnett. Since her return, she has taken the lead in operations, technical services, and construction.
Gwinnett County Water Resources handles water treatment and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, and stormwater management. Assets include 1,400 miles of stormwater pipe, two water filter plants that produce 70 million gallons of drinking water per day, 3,000 miles of wastewater pipes, and the internationally recognized F. Wayne Hill Water Resources Center, which can treat up to 60 million gallons of effluent per day.
Under Shelton’s leadership as acting director, Gwinnett County received the Platinum Peak Performance Award from the National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Platinum Distribution System Excellence Award, and she served on the leadership team that helped guide Gwinnett in winning the ‘Best Tasting Water’ in the state.Shelton also was recently named one of the 100 Most Influential Women in Georgia Engineering by Georgia Engineering Magazine.
Stephens highlighted the county’s commitment to succession planning and promoting from within, citing both Shelton’s and Dickison’s appointments as examples.
“We are honoring those values with both appointments today,” said Stephens. “Rebecca’s more than 25 years of experience in civil engineering and management of local government infrastructure and her proven leadership in that space will serve her well in this new role.”
Shelton said it is an honor to be trusted to lead Water Resources. “Gwinnett is a recognized leader in the water industry, and protecting public health by providing safe drinking water, proper wastewater treatment and effective stormwater services is at the heart of what we do every day,” said Shelton. “I am fortunate to work with amazing, passionate water professionals who care about serving our residents.”
She holds a B.S. in environmental engineering from the University of Central Florida and M.S. in civil engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology.
 
Matthew Dickison named Director of Planning and Development
Dickison joined Gwinnett County Planning and Development in 2021 as deputy director before being promoted to assistant director the following year.
The department serves to promote and enhance the well-being of residents and businesses in Gwinnett County by planning for growth and maintaining adopted standards for development. The department, consisting of the planning, development, building, housing, and community development, code enforcement, and administration divisions, is responsible for community planning, authorizing permits for site development and building construction projects, issuing business licenses, enforcing county codes, and ordinances. 
“Matthew holds exceptional knowledge and understanding of all aspects of planning, zoning, and development,” said Stephens. “During his short tenure with Gwinnett, he has shown a great willingness and ability to lead the department into the future, and I look forward to witnessing those results.”
“I am honored to lead the department at a time when there are so many exciting planning and redevelopment projects underway now, and on the horizon,” Dickison said. “Gwinnett’s future is bright, as we continue to promote people-centered development that meets the needs of all residents. I look forward to advancing these efforts and ensuring that our team continues to provide exceptional service to our community,”
Before joining Gwinnett County, Dickison served as Planning and Development Director for the city of Chamblee and an associate planner at Clark Patterson Lee and Associates. He has also served in leadership positions in the cities of Dunwoody, Johns Creek, and Suwanee. 
Dickison began his career in urban planning working for the city of Louisville, Kentucky, where he also earned a master’s degree at the University of Louisville.
He is a certified planner with a bachelor’s degree in geography in addition to a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Illinois.

Join us to honor fallen military and public service heroes during the annual Memorial Day ceremony on Monday, May 29 at 1:00pm at the Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial.
Gwinnett officials and the Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial Committee will induct Correctional Officer Senior Scott Ozburn Riner into the Fallen Heroes Memorial. Riner was shot and killed outside the Comprehensive Correctional Complex in Lawrenceville on Tuesday, December 13, 2022.
The Gwinnett Board of Commissioners will provide remarks, and Army Sergeant Shelly-Ann Simpson will serve as this year’s keynote speaker.
Ms. Simpson is the Executive Director for Field Operations and Appeals for the Georgia Department of Veterans Service. Since entering state government in 2001, Ms. Simpson has served in numerous leadership roles, including her current appointment, where she leads more than 75 percent of the Georgia Department of Veterans Service workforce as they assist veterans with navigating the VA Claims and Appeals process. Born in Jamaica and raised in Mount Vernon, New York, Ms. Simpson joined the U.S. Army Reserves in 1994. She was deployed as part of NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Bosnia in support of Operation Joint Endeavor/Joint Guard in 1997, for which she earned a NATO medal. Ms. Simpson has served as the women veterans’ coordinator and the Department Service Officer for the American Legion. She is a tireless advocate for veterans in the state of Georgia. Ms. Simpson has a master’s in public administration, a graduate certificate in project management from Keller Graduate School of Management, and a bachelor’s degree from State University of New York, New Paltz. She is married to her high school sweetheart, and they live in metro Atlanta.
The Memorial Day ceremony will be aired live on Gwinnett’s Facebook page. It will also be televised on TV Gwinnett, the County’s local government access cable channel. TV Gwinnett programming is also available streaming and on demand at TVGwinnett.com.
The Gwinnett Fallen Heroes Memorial, located on the grounds of the Gwinnett Justice and Administration Center, 75 Langley Drive in Lawrenceville, honors all Gwinnett residents who died in the line of duty in military or public service. The memorial opened in 2003 and was built with funds from private donations and Gwinnett County Government. For additional information about the memorial, visit GwinnettFallenHeroes.com.

Gwinnett County’s water bill payment address has changed to Gwinnett Water Resources, P.O. Box 105023, Atlanta, GA 30348-5023. Customers who pay their water bill by mail should mail the payment to the new mailing address.
Please note that this is not a physical address and should only be used for mailed payments. In-person payments will still be accepted at Gwinnett Water Resources’ main office, located at 684 Winder Highway in Lawrenceville. You can also pay in person at any Western Union location.
If you use an online bill pay service through your bank, you should ensure the address is listed correctly with the bank issuing the check.
Online bill pay will not be affected by this change. Our secure online portal provides the fastest and easiest way to pay.