John Rutherford Seydel III

John Rutherford Seydel III, known professionally as John R., is an Atlanta native and longtime public servant who has served the City of Atlanta for nearly a decade across three mayoral administrations. As Deputy Chief Sustainability Officer in the Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and Resilience, John R. helps lead implementation of the City’s Climate Resilient ATL Action Plan, working across City departments and with community, regional, nonprofit, and private-sector partners to translate Atlanta’s climate and resilience goals into actionable policies, programs, and investments.

John R. oversees implementation of actions within Climate Resilient ATL’s Multimodal Transportation chapter, including transportation demand management, fleet electrification, EV infrastructure, and expanded access to lower-carbon transportation options. He convenes and leads the City’s Interdepartmental EV Working Group and helped develop and publish the City of Atlanta Zero-Emission Vehicle Implementation Plan and ZEV Procurement Policy. His work has supported the expansion of EV charging infrastructure across City-owned facilities and community-serving sites while helping operational departments plan for vehicle electrification, charging deployment, and long-term implementation of Atlanta’s zero-emission fleet goals.