South Metro Advisory Roundtable with Samir Abdullahi, Director, Select Fulton & Sarah-Elizabeth Langford , Executive Director, Develop Fulton

Samir Abdullahi

Director
Select Fulton

Samir Abdullahi is the Director for Select Fulton, Fulton County’s economic and workforce development initiative. His roles include recruiting new jobs and capital investment to the county, preparing incentive packages and directing Fulton County’s $3.2M Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act funding. Over his 10 year career, Samir has successfully spearheaded efforts that have resulted in the creation of thousands of jobs in Georgia – and hundreds of millions of dollars in new investment -- through the high-profile corporate relocations and expansions of firms such as Boston Scientific, Fiserv, Halyard Heath, Microsoft Corporation, ASOS, Pandora, Deluxe Corporation and Inspire Brands, to name a few.  He was previously worked both at City of Alpharetta and Partnership Gwinnett in Gwinnett County doing economic development. A graduate of the University of Georgia, Samir holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations. He also holds a master’s in Public Policy from Georgia State University’s Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.

Sarah-Elizabeth Langford

Executive Director
Develop Fulton

Sarah-Elizabeth Langford serves as Executive Director of Develop Fulton, the Development Authority of Fulton County, one of the largest economic development authorities in the Southeastern United States, where she leads complex public-private transactions, including incentive structuring and bond issuances that support major investment. 

Ms. Langford has been appointed by two governors to serve on statewide boards, including the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, where she contributed to oversight of one of the nation’s largest public higher education systems and supported initiatives focused on access, workforce alignment, and student success. She currently serves on the Board of the Georgia Department of Economic Development and the University System of Georgia Foundation Board, continuing her engagement in advancing the state’s economic competitiveness.

She also serves on the boards of the Atlanta International School (AIS) and GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students, reflecting her commitment to education across the full continuum from early learning through global readiness.

She brings a deep personal connection to Atlanta, with family roots in the Joyland community. Her father, a former Georgia State Senator, attended Price High School and Morris Brown College, reflecting a legacy of public service and educational achievement grounded in the very communities she now serves. She previously served as First Lady of the City of Atlanta, where she supported community focused initiatives and civic engagement, building on a shared commitment to leadership and impact.

A graduate of the University of Michigan and Howard University School of Law, Ms. Langford brings both a Georgia and an international perspective shaped by experience in Europe and West Africa and is fluent in French.

She is the proud mother of one daughter, Maria, and believes deeply that education and economic opportunity, when aligned, can transform communities and expand what is possible for the next generation.