Mayor promotes new Constituent Service chief who was subject of an inspector general investigation

The Dickens administration announced Thursday the promotion of a new executive director of the Office of Constituent Services, Vanessa Manley, who was a subject in an Office of Inspector General (OIG) investigation. Investigators found that, in April 2022, she submitted a false invoice to the city on behalf of a private company she also worked for.

“Vanessa Manley understands the needs of our communities — how City services are experienced, where gaps exist and how to bring government closer to the people,” said Mayor Dickens in a press release announcing Manley’s promotion. “Her leadership—and compassion for people—will help ensure every resident has a responsive, accessible City government that works for them.”

At the time she submitted what the OIG called the “false” invoice, Manley worked in Post 1 At-Large Councilmember Michael Julian Bond’s office and helped run the mayor’s Midnight Basketball League (MBL). She was transferred to the Mayor’s Office of Constituent Services (OCS) in September 2022. She has continued to work for the office periodically since then. 

In her April 2023 City of Atlanta Ethics Financial Disclosure Form, Manley reported that she also held outside employment with Groundwork Consulting LLC, through which she made at least $5,000. Manley told OIG investigators that Groundwork is a “‘grassroots’ consulting and public relations” firm.

On Groundwork’s Secretary of State Business Registration, Manley was listed as one of two organizers, along with former OCS head Mark Henderson. According to the OIG report, Manley’s personal office space was listed as Groundwork’s registered office address. 

Manley also worked for Shaking the Nations, Inc., which she did not disclose on her Ethics form. She was at the time—and continues to be—listed as CFO on the organization’s Georgia business registration. Shaking the Nations is a religious organization that Manley told OIG she volunteers at. It has no website. Though it is a registered 501(c)(3), the IRS website shows the organization last filed a 990 for the 2019 tax year. 

Shaking the Nations received $13,000 in payments from the city in 2022. 

Midnight Basketball League and the false invoice

Manley told the OIG that she was hired by District 10 Councilmember Andrea Boone to work the MBL as a Groundwork Consulting employee. Manley, who has worked for the city on and off since 2004, including a 2015-2017 stint working for Boone, who held the Constituent Services executive director position at the time. 

Between September 2021 and March 2022, Boone’s office paid Groundwork $20,000. At the time, that was the maximum amount of small purchases allowable per vendor from one office each fiscal year without City Council review. The City Council approved legislation the following year to increase the limit to $100,000. Boone was the chief sponsor of the legislation. 

The OIG found Manley used city property to conduct work on behalf of Groundwork on multiple occasions between October 2020 and February 2023. 

“Manley forwarded Groundwork Consulting invoices for payment to City staff using her City email address,” the OIG report said. In addition, she used her personal email address to solicit donations from city councilmembers on behalf of Shaking the Nations. 

On April 4, the OIG report says, Manley emailed Boone and another staffer to request payment on a $2,500 invoice on behalf of Groundwork for the MBL. The Department of Procurement rejected the payment request because Boone’s office had reached the $20,000 payment threshold for Groundwork. 

On April 14, Manley emailed Boone and the other staffer a new invoice, which the OIG report said “was nearly identical,” but listed Shaking the Nations as the vendor instead of Groundwork. 

When asked whether Shaking the Nations or Groundwork had conducted the invoiced work, Manley initially told OIG investigators that she “would prefer not to answer.” The OIG report went on to say, “When asked again, Manley stated definitively that it was not Shaking the Nations who provided the work for the MBL event. OIG inquired why Shaking the Nations, and not Groundwork Consulting, received payment for services provided at the MBL event. Manley repeated that she was confused.”

The next month, Shaking the Nations participated in an event honoring the 80th birthday of Dr. Gerald Durley. Post 2 At-Large Councilmember Matt Westmoreland provided a $5,000 donation to Shaking the Nations in Durley’s honor. The payment was delayed, and Manley reached out to Boone and the Finance Department for help getting it processed. The city issued payment on June 15, 2022. The following day, the OIG report stated, “$2,000 from Shaking the Nations was deposited in Manley’s bank account via the online money transfer application Zelle.”

On her April 2023 ethics filing, Manley checked “no” under the question, “Since January 1, 2022, have you been paid or compensated to appear on behalf of any person, client or private interest before any city agency or board?”

According to the OIG report, Manley told investigators “that she most likely answered no because she did not understand the question.”

Manley continued outside consulting 

Manley has also worked on political campaigns. She was the director of faith engagement for the 2022 Raphael Warnock campaign, which paid Groundwork Consulting nearly $80,000, according to campaign finance reports. Her April 2023 ethics disclosure listed outside employment at Groundwork and that she provided professional services to the Jen Jordan for Georgia Attorney General Campaign, though Jordan’s campaign reports show $31,750 payments to Groundwork and none to Manley directly.

During Post 3 At-Large Councilmember Eshé Collins’ campaign to win the seat vacated by Keisha Sean Waites in 2024, Collins’ campaign paid Big Boots Consulting LLC $8,082 for “Field Consulting” between Aug. 26 and Oct. 21 of that year. Big Boots Consulting filed its business registration with the Georgia Secretary of State on Oct. 28, 2024. Manley was the company’s sole organizer.

Manley did not list Big Boots Consulting on the outside employment section of her April 2025 ethics filing, nor did she list the Collins’ campaign. 

The press release issued Wednesday said Manley was most recently working as the city’s Director of Customer Service and Constituent Support. 

One of the recommendations in the OIG report was that Manley, Groundwork and Shaking the Nations be suspended or debarred “from doing business with the city.”

Manley continued working for the city in various roles. In addition to her regular employment, the city has directly paid Manley $30,500 as a vendor throughout 2025—all but $1,000 of that coming from Collins’ office. One payment from Collins’ office to Manley has the description, “Administrative support & consulting services for community engagement & public relations – January 2025 and Monthly parking allowance.” The remainder of Collins’ payment has “n/a” as the description. 

Manley did not respond to questions from the Atlanta Community Press Collective.