Nina Hickson (Photo: Alison Church)

Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms has named Nina Hickson, the Atlanta Beltline's general counsel, as interim city attorney.

Hickson succeeds former city attorney Jeremy Berry, who resigned last month as part of a mayoral cabinet shake-up.

At the time, the city announced that Berry's position would be backfilled, but a spokesperson for Bottoms did not respond by deadline to questions about why a deputy city attorney was not tapped to step in. The spokesperson did share that Hickson will be on leave from her job as the Beltline's top lawyer during her tenure with the city.

For Hickson, who could not be reached for comment, this gig marks the latest in a long career in government. Prior to becoming vice president and GC for the Beltline, she served as Atlanta's ethics officer for four years, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Previously, she served as the city attorney for East Point for nearly seven years and spent a brief stint as East Point's interim city manager. She also was chief assistant public defender at the Georgia Public Defender Standards Council.

Hickson has experience in the private sector as well. During the 1990s, she was associate GC and vice president at Primerica Financial Services and before that the VP of human resources, GC and corporate secretary at Atlanta Life Insurance Co.

Hickson's appointment as interim city attorney may be a nod to Bottoms' stated emphasis on transparency. Last month, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Hickson fulfilled a public records request for the Beltline CEO's employment contract, even though former city communications director Anne Torres pressured the CEO to delay its production.

Hickson earned her degree from Emory University School of Law.