An announcement was made this week that Ken Atkins has joined the law firm of Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton in their Raleigh office. Atkins was the Wake County economic development head for 16 years, according to the News Observer.
Atkins will be taking over the position of director of economic development at the firm on its real estate team.
In December of 2013, Atkins retired from the position of executive director of Wake County Economic Development. Atkins will turn 65 in February. The position he held was within the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce. The department receives its funding from the City of Raleigh and Wake County. Atkins also worked as the senior vice president of economic development for the Chamber of Commerce.
The managing partner for Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton’s Raleigh office, Gary Joyner, issued a statement about the addition of Atkins to the real estate group. In the statement, Joyner noted that he and Atkins worked closely when Joyner was the chair of the chamber.
“Clients will greatly benefit from his unique, high-level experience that is second to none in the economic development arena,” Joyner said.
Atkins is a graduate of Broughton High School and a native of Raleigh. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics, which he earned at N.C. State University. Atkins held the position of president for the Catawba County Economic Development Corp. for 16 years before he joined the chamber.
