Dickens announced the appointment Oct. 19 after a national search for a successor to Justin Cutler, who left the post in May 2026 after four years. Voss was the only candidate from within the department to enter the search.

“Doug Voss knows this department, the people who work here, and the communities we serve,” Dickens said in a statement.

Voss joined the department in 2011 and has since served in several leadership roles, including director and deputy commissioner. After Cutler’s departure, he became interim commissioner.

During his time in the department, Voss helped expand the Park Ranger program, consolidate maintenance operations, strengthen the Natural Resources team and support efforts to acquire greenspace, according to the city.

Atlanta’s standing in the Trust for Public Land’s annual ParkScore rankings rose from 49th among 100 park systems in 2021 to 18th in 2026. The city says 85% of residents live within a 10-minute walk of a park, compared with a national average of 76%.

Michael Halicki, president and CEO of local parks nonprofit Park Pride, served on the search committee. He said Voss’ knowledge of Atlanta’s parks and city operations gave him an advantage over candidates who would have needed time to learn the department and local context.

The committee sought a commissioner familiar with Georgia, prepared to work during Dickens’ second term and committed to improving Atlanta’s ParkScore, Halicki said.

George Dusenbury, who hired Voss in 2011 as the city’s parks commissioner and now leads the Trust for Public Land’s Southern Region and Georgia office, described him as a detail-focused operations leader. Dusenbury and Halicki also pointed to Voss’ relationships with department employees, city officials and community organizations.

Voss did not make a public comment on the appointment. Dusenbury said he hopes the new commissioner will develop and share a vision for what the department should accomplish as he settles into the permanent role.