Dr. Theresa Austin-Gibbons
Dr. Theresa Austin-Gibbons is the Commissioner of the Atlanta Department of Labor & Employment Services. Dr. Austin- Gibbons is a strategic leader responsible for enhancing employer engagement, fostering partnerships, and driving workforce development initiatives that align with the city's economic goals. In her role, she serves as the chief strategist providing oversight for workforce development, employer engagement, and economic mobility initiatives for the City of Atlanta.
This role ensures that residents have access to quality jobs, training programs, and career pathways while fostering strong partnerships with businesses, educational institutions, and community organizations to drive inclusive economic growth. Over the last two summers, she provided leadership by implementing Mayor Dicken’s Summer Youth Employment Program which served over 19,000 youth in a four-year period.
Dr. Austin-Gibbons is the former Executive Director of WorkSource DeKalb, which is DeKalb County’s American Job Center. The workforce agency that provides residents and employers with access to a system of Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) employment and education services, in the state of Georgia. During her tenure at WorkSource DeKalb, Theresa fostered innovation by implementing services such as Workforce Wednesday, Helping Youth Prepare for Employment (H.Y.P.E) and receiving an Association of County Commissioners of Georgia Grant in 2019.
In the latter part of 2019, Theresa heightened her accolades by attending and graduating from the National Association of Workforce Boards Executive Bootcamp Inaugural Program. Under the leadership of CEO Thurmond, Dr. Austin-Gibbons successfully implemented the DeKalb Virtual Career Academy (DVCA) that served over 750 youth in a summer work experience initiative during the pandemic and served 620 youth in 2021. DVCA has won two national awards from the National Association of Counties. The first award was the Technology & Innovation Award in 2020 and in 2021, the second award won is the Youth National Achievement Award. Under her leadership in 2021 alongside Decide DeKalb, the WorkSource DeKalb team kicked off the MADE IN DEKALB Educator Fellowship designed to strengthen the connection between classrooms and careers in manufacturing and logistics industries. Currently, she serves on the Leadership Metro Exchange Board of Directors, the Georgia Piedmont Technical College Board of Directors and the US Conference of Mayors, Workforce Development Council.
Theresa is a graduate of Valdosta State University where she received a BA in Criminal Justice. She continued her education by completing a master’s in business administration at Troy State University. She completed her Doctor of Education in Organizational Development at Nova Southeastern University.
Theresa has more than 20 years of experience in human resources, workforce, and economic development at local, state and federal levels. She is a graduate of the 2025 Leadership DeKalb cohort.
Dr. Austin-Gibbons was born in Thomasville, GA but currently lives in DeKalb County. She enjoys singing, attending professional sporting events, spending time with her granddaughter and traveling with her husband. In 2020, she released a duet with a long-time friend, entitled “God’s Amazing Grace Saved Me”. However, Theresa feels her greatest personal accomplishment in 2020 was becoming a member of the Decatur Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated and formerly served as the Social Action Committee Chair.