Ethics Office
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- Parent Category: About Us
The Ethics Office is an independent city office headed by the City Ethics Officer. The City Ethics Officer is appointed by the Governing Board of the Office of the Inspector General and Ethics Office for a period of five years, subject to confirmation by the City Council and approval by the Mayor. The Ethics Officer must be a city resident and an active member of the Georgia Bar Association with at least five years' experience in the practice of law. The City Code of Ethics prohibits the Ethics Officer from being involved in the City's partisan political activities or political affairs.
DUTIES
The Ethics Office provides general and targeted ethics training to city officials, employees, and contractors on the City's Code of Ethics; provides written and oral ethics advice to city officials and employees; investigates complaints falling under the jurisdiction of the Code of Ethics, prosecutes violations of the Code of Ethics, coordinates the City's ethics and compliance hotline (Integrity Hotline), and manages the City's financial disclosure system.
STAFF
JABU M. SENGOVA, City Ethics Officer
Appointed by the Board of Ethics in February 2017, Ms. Sengova serves as the City of Atlanta's Ethics Officer. In this role, she provides leadership and direction in the areas of ethics advice and training, public education and outreach, financial disclosure filings, and enforcement of ethics cases. She brings her passion, experience, and commitment to building a strong ethical culture in city government and was instrumental in developing and producing the City’s pilot ethics e-learning course. During her tenure, Ms. Sengova has legislated for significant amendments to the Atlanta Code of Ethics to strengthen and improve the City’s ethics program. She has over 21 years’ experience in the legal field, including criminal practice, ethics, and government. Prior to joining the Ethics Office, Ms. Sengova worked for several years in the Fulton County Public Defender’s Office where she successfully represented criminal defendants in felony trials. She previously served as an assistant public defender in the Atlanta Municipal Court’s Public Defender’s Office. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in English from South Carolina State University and her law degree from the University of Florida. Ms. Sengova is barred in Georgia and Florida and is a Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional (CCEP). She is a member of both local and national ethics and compliance organizations. Ms. Sengova received the Atlanta Bar Association's prestigious Public Service Award in October 2017.
CARLOS R. SANTIAGO, Deputy Ethics Officer
Mr. Santiago serves as the Deputy Ethics Officer. In this role, he reviews and investigates ethics complaints, monitors the City's compliance hotline, conducts ethics training for city officials and employees on the City's Standards of Conduct (Code of Ethics), provides written and oral advice to officials and employees, recommends changes to the Code of Ethics or Board Rules, assists with the City's mandatory annual disclosure filing requirements, and manages the financial disclosure enforcement process. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Texas A&M University and his Juris Doctor from Atlanta's John Marshall Law School. Mr. Santiago is a Member of the State Bar of Georgia, the Atlanta Bar Association, various local and national ethics and compliance organizations, and a Certified Compliance and Ethics Professional (CCEP).
SHERRY H. DAWSON, Business Manager II
Ms. Dawson serves as the office administrator. In this role, she manages the day to day operations of the Ethics Office, assists users in filing online forms in the Electronic Disclosure System, and researches and compiles data for reports. Previously, she worked for the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia for 13 years, serving as its finance director and office manager. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in marketing from Alabama State University.
RAYMOND ROBINSON, Program Manager
Mr. Robinson serves as the Program Manager for the Ethics Office. His role involves managing programs and projects impacting the internal operations of the Ethics Division. Mr. Robinson bring his experience, knowledge, drive from having over 35 years of program and project management experience working in various industries. Prior to joining the Ethics Division, Mr. Robinson worked for the City of Atlanta Information Management as their IT Program Manager for 5 years. Before joining the City of Atlanta, Mr. Robinson was the Acting Manager of the PMO Office for MARTA, Director of IT Risk Management for US Bank, Vice President-Global Oracle Finance Technology Worldwide Production Support for JPMorgan Chase, and operated Robinson Management Consulting Group, LLC. Mr. Robinson is a certified Project Manager Professional (PMP) and certified Information System Auditor (CISA). Mr. Robinson received is BBA in Accounting from Pace University and Master’s in Information Systems and Technology Management from Capella University.
JANET R. KEENE, Ethics Analyst
Ms. Keene serves as the Ethics Analyst for the Ethics Division. In this role, she assists with ethics investigations and helps to identify potential conflicts of interest through the proactive auditing of the annual City Financial Disclosure Statements filed by city officials and employees. She has worked with the Ethics Division dating back to the original Ethics Officer, Ginny Looney. Ms. Keene is a Certified Fraud Examiner. She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Maryland at College Park, her Master of Public Administration degree from the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University and attended the Georgia State University College of Law.
IBIDAPO S. ONABANJO, Ethics Advisor
Ms. Onabanjo serves as the Ethics Advisor for the Ethics Division. In her role she researches, writes and interprets ethics laws, provides oral and written ethics advice, conducts ethics training for new employees on the city’s Code of Ethics, drafts ethical opinions, assists with ethics investigations and the city financial disclosure process. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Healthcare Management from Clayton State University and her Juris Doctor from Atlanta’s John Marshall Law School. Ms. Onabanjo is a member of the Atlanta Bar Association, the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics, and a Registered Neutral in the State of Georgia.
LARRY MASON, Investigations Manager, Sr
Mr. Mason serves as the Investigation Manager for the Ethics Division. His role involves investigating complaints falling under the jurisdiction of the Code of Ethics and managing the City’s ethics and compliance hotline (Integrity Hotline). Mr. Mason has more than 15 years of investigative and security consulting experience. Prior to joining the Ethics Division, Mr. Mason worked as a private investigator and a security consultant in the private sector. Mr. Mason received his Private Investigator Certification in 2015 from the Georgia Board of Private Detectives and Security Agency, is an active member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE) and continues his education through the Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).
PORTIA REEVES, Business Manager I
Ms. Reeves serves as the Executive Assistant, Sr. for the Ethics Division. Her role involves managing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of the Ethics Division. Ms. Reeves brings her experience and knowledge from providing 10+ years of support to c-level executives for various government organizations. Prior to joining the Ethics Division, Ms. Reeves worked as the Assistant to the Chairman for the Clayton County Board of Commissioners, Administrative Coordinator for the DeKalb County Chief Executive Office, and Office Manager for the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners Super District 7. Before transitioning to the public sector, Ms. Reeves worked as a licensed multi-jurisdictional insurance adjuster for State Farm where she worked closely with the Special Investigations Unit. Ms. Reeves received her Bachelor of Arts in English from Georgia State University and is currently working on her Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in Human Resources Leadership. Compliance and Ethics (SCCE).
ARIYAN MARSHALL, Management Analyst
Ms. Marshall serves as the Management Analyst for the Ethics Division. In this role she assists users with filing various online forms, manages the office internal CityNet and Ethics internet websites, and assists with developing projects. Ms. Marshall brings her creativity, knowledge, and ambition to aid the team as it continuously expands. Ariyan is currently finishing her Bachelor of Arts in Mass Communication and hopes to continue to gain experience and knowledge in her field of work.
JOE HINES, Management Analyst
Joe Hines serves as the Administrative Assistant to the Program Manager for the Ethics Office. In his role with the Ethics Division, Mr. Hines composes educational and training documents that assist with programs and projects impacting the internal operations of the Ethics Office. Mr. Hines brings his experience in education to the work he does with the Ethics Division. Mr. Hines is currently fin finishing her Bachelor of Arts in History.
FARRAH SIMS, Executive Assistant
Farrah Sims serves as the Executive Assistant for the Ethics Department. Her role involves managing the day-to-day administrative and operational functions of the Ethics Division. Ms. Sims brings her experience and knowledge from providing 12+ years of support to C-suite executives. Before joining The City of Atlanta Ethics Department, Ms. Sims was in the Quality Assurance department and was responsible for the Training and Documentation of 500+ staff at InCommunity; she spent ten years as Executive Assistant to the CEO of InCommunity. Outside work, she enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her family. Ms. Sims is an active member of the Service Providers Association for Developmental Disabilities (SPADD).
LaDamian Boatwright, Management Analyst, Sr
LaDamian Boatwright performs a wide variety of analytical and data management work related to the Ethics Office’s operations and management systems, supports and assists with the financial disclosure process, and assist in reviewing and conducting financial disclosure audits. Previously worked for the DeKalb County Government Finance Department as a Management Analyst. Preformed audits, research, and analytical assistance for departmental operations. Received Bachelor of Science in Business Management from Jacksonville State University.
Juan D. Hernandez, Investigator Specialist
Mr. Hernandez serves as the Investigator Specialist for the Ethics Division. In this role, he works closely with the Investigations Manager, Sr. and supports the investigative arm of the office. Mr. Hernandez graduated from Georgia State University in 2019. Subsequently, he obtained his Private Investigator license in 2021 from the Georgia Board of Private Detectives and Security Agencies. While obtaining his license, Mr. Hernandez worked in the private sector for a felony criminal defense investigation firm. Currently, Mr. Hernandez is expanding his knowledge of ethics and compliance investigations through work experience and professional development.