Our Team
Choose a staff position to learn more about the Council member or some of the great folks serving District 5.
Liliana Bakhtiari
Liliana Bakhtiari is a second-term Atlanta City Councilmember, humanitarian, and lifelong Atlantan who believes government earns trust by turning values into visible improvements in people's lives.
The child of Iranian immigrants, Councilmember Bakhtiari was raised in Southeast Atlanta and grew up working in their father's pharmacy on historic Sweet Auburn. In 2021, Liliana was elected to represent Atlanta City Council District 5, becoming Atlanta's first nonbinary councilmember and Georgia's first openly queer Muslim elected official.
Their first term combined consequential citywide policy with intensive neighborhood work. Bakhtiari established Atlanta's Access to Counsel program for residents facing eviction, authored legislation decriminalizing abortion after Dobbs, expanded housing opportunities for voucher holders, launched Atlanta's first neighborhood-based case management model for unsheltered residents, and helped make Atlanta a national leader in combating extreme urban heat.
In District 5, their advocacy helped secure the funding and community support for thousands of new affordable and mixed-income homes across Southeast Atlanta.
Their tenure has also brought substantial investments in sidewalks, pedestrian safety, traffic calming, street lighting, parks, and neighborhood improvements.
Bakhtiari has treated greenspace as essential infrastructure, preserving Ormewood Forest, expanding the Kirkwood Urban Forest, kickstarting the Memorial Drive Greenway, and directing millions toward neighborhood parks.
Their work spans District 5 from Downtown, Sweet Auburn, and the Old Fourth Ward through Cabbagetown and Reynoldstown to Kirkwood, East Atlanta, East Lake, Candler Park, Lake Claire, and Druid Hills.
Bakhtiari's record demonstrates what municipal government can accomplish when ambitious policy is paired with sustained, neighborhood-by-neighborhood and block-by-block governing.
Alex Fennell
Alex was raised in the Atlanta Metro, and after 15 years away, returned in 2020 to settle in the city that's always felt like home. During the time away, Alex worked to achieve housing and racial justice.
Prior to joining District 5, she served as Senior Political Organizer at the Association for Neighborhood and Housing Development in New York City, collaborating on the nation's first citywide framework for analyzing racial equity in land use.
Alex brings a strong commitment to collaborative, data-driven policy development to her role. Alex holds a law degree from the Georgia State College of Law.
Nic Cappon
A native of Upstate NY, Nic came to the City of Atlanta having served at the highest levels of New York government. Nic brings strong coalition building, communication strategy, and public policy development skills to the District 5 team.
Nic holds a Bachelor of Political Science from New York's public university system and a Master of Public Administration from Cornell University.
When he's not serving our constituents, Nic enjoys cooking elaborate confections and asking for the manager at Applebees.
Jacob Pierce
Born and raised in Metro Atlanta, the city has served Jacob all his life, and he is excited to serve it and its people in turn. A graduate of Vanderbilt University, his experience spans presidential campaigns, digital fundraising strategy, and driving technology adoption for state governments at Deloitte.
As District Director, Jacob hopes to empower the people of District 5 to actively engage with local government by helping them navigate it and understand how it works.
Outside of his District work, Jacob enjoys cooking, playing pickleball, and watching Survivor.