Governor Kemp Appoints Allona Lane Cross Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity

For Immediate Release

Allona Lane Cross was appointed to serve as the Executive Director of the Georgia Commission on Equal Opportunity (GCEO) by Governor Brian P. Kemp on October 24, 2019.

As the Executive Director, Allona oversees the GCEO, which is a state agency charged with the mission to protect individuals from discrimination in employment and housing by enforcing the Georgia Fair Employment Practices Act and the Georgia Fair Housing Law. Prior to becoming the Executive Director, Allona was promoted to be the Deputy Director of the agency where she served as second in command. As Deputy Director, she assisted the Executive Director in the administration & coordination of the agency in the areas of operations, administration, financial management, information technology, compliance, and investigations.

Prior to becoming the Deputy Director, Allona served as the Director of Fair Housing by enforcing the Georgia Fair Housing Law and managing the fair housing division, which investigates complex cases involving allegations of unlawful discrimination in housing for the state of Georgia. She also previously served as a Senior Advisor to two former Executive Directors, Senior Compliance Officer, the Communications Officer for the agency, and as a Mediator promoting alternative dispute resolutions.

Allona is well-versed in regulation interpretation and is a subject matter expert in the fields of fair housing compliance and investigations. She loves working in the public sector and shares a remarkable vision for the future of “Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing.” She regularly conducts seminars covering a variety of fair housing topics to educate consumers and constituents on fair housing laws and provides technical training to regulated industry personnel at the state and local levels throughout Georgia.

Allona has worked in the fair housing and affordable housing fields for nearly a decade. Prior to joining the GCEO, she served as a Housing Specialist for the Birmingham Housing Authority in Birmingham, Alabama. Her passion for equal opportunity, fair housing, and inclusion is fueled from a long family history of real estate entrepreneurship. Allona helps manage her family’s real estate & development company which has been established for over 50 years and has cemented itself as a historical entity in Mississippi within the local community.

Allona is a native of West Point, Mississippi. She attended the University of Mississippi where she holds a bachelor’s degree in Paralegal Studies with a minor in English. She furthered her education by graduating Magna Cum Laude from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a Master of Public Administration degree including a concentration in Human Resources Management and Public Policy. Allona is a member of the University of Mississippi’s Alumni Association, the American Society for Public Administration, and Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Allona also serves as the Board Chair for College Equipped, Inc., a non-profit organization in Nashville, Tennessee which administers a college readiness, and mentoring program to high school students providing them with the tools needed to ensure success in post-secondary education.

She is an active figure in the Grayson, Georgia community with her Husband, Regis, twin sons, and daughter.