Following a brief illness, Michel “Marty” Turpeau, the board chairman of Develop Fulton, passed suddenly. As a native Atlantan, Marty, as he was affectionately called, had a profound affection for our city. Since November 2020, he has been Develop Fulton’s board chair.

Chairman Turpeau of Develop Fulton placed a strong emphasis on the concrete advantages that every chance for economic growth provides to the community. Since his appointment, Develop Fulton has worked to rectify the disparity in wealth in Fulton County, particularly in the south of the county, which has for far too long been neglected in favor of the rapidly expanding urban regions in the City of Atlanta and other parts of the county.

During his tenure, Turpeau handled the agency’s rebranding in an effort to modernize things. “Partnering for progress, powering development” is the tagline of Develop Fulton.

“Because we are very aware of the lack of development in certain under-served areas of the county,” Turpeau said in a 2021 interview with The Atlanta Voice. “We must do something about it. This doesn’t mean we neglect any area, but we must pay special attention to developing tools that target under-served areas.”

Turpeau was an Atlanta native. After completing his studies at Morehouse College for his undergraduate degree and Clark Atlanta University for his master’s in business administration, he graduated from Fredrick Douglass High School. Aaron’s father served in the mayoral cabinets of Andrew Young and Maynard Jackson for the City of Atlanta.