Aliya Bhatia’s nomination for Atlanta Chief Education Officer withdrawn by mayor

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The mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, Keisha Lance Bottoms has withdrawn an Indian American’s nomination for the chief education officer.

Aliya Bhatia was to assume her new position in the week of July 16 but the mayor had a change of heart, just days after she announced the nomination though she provided no explanation, according to an Atlanta Journal-Constitution report, however a spokesperson did provide a statement saying:

“There is no higher priority for this Administration than making sure our children and communities have the tools and direction they need to compete in the advanced workforce of today and tomorrow. We have decided to delay the implementation and start-date of this position to further review some of the nuances that will make this nexus between the city and our education partners even stronger. We appreciate Aliya Bhatia’s remarkable talent and energy, and trust that she will be tremendously successful in her future endeavors.”

At the time of the hiring Bottoms was quoted saying, “Aliya Bhatia’s experience, passion and commitment to creating high-quality, accessible educational opportunities will allow her to effectively partner with (Atlanta Public Schools) and other education and industry leaders from throughout the community as we work to improve access to education and training for all of our children and residents.”

According to an earlier News India Times report, Bhatia has worked as an associate and consultant at the Boston Consulting Group and partnered with Fortune 500 clients to develop strategy, crunch numbers and lead through influence.

She recently completed her master’s degree in public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.