The Atlanta Pride Committee announced today it has hired Buck Cooke as its new full-time executive director.

Cooke has been serving as managing director and oversaw this year's successful Atlanta Pride. Cooke replaces James Parker Sheffield, who resigned last year to take a job with The Health Initiative.

"I'm excited about this opportunity to give back to Atlanta Pride in this new role. I really enjoyed my time as a volunteer with APC and it is an honor to be selected as the new executive director. We have wonderful and faithful volunteers and I look forward to what we can accomplish together in 2013," Cook said Wednesday.

From a press release from the Atlanta Pride board:

The Atlanta Pride Committee Board of Directors & Festival Committee Liaison met yesterday evening, November 20. After having reviewed all of the applications received and interviewing qualified finalists, the board voted to hire Buck Cooke as the full-time Executive Director for the Atlanta Pride Committee.

We are thrilled and excited to promote and hire Buck Cooke as the Executive Director for the Atlanta Pride Committee effective December 1, 2012. Buck continues to bring a wealth of experience and knowledge to our organization for operations and event planning from his current work experiences as the Atlanta Pride Committee Managing Director this past year as well as his previous work at Georgia Tech and Emory University. 

Buck will directly report to the board chair and work with the board, festival committee members, staff members, volunteers, managing vendors and contractors to continue our current and future fundraising efforts, and programming and of course, the 2013 and future Atlanta Pride Festivals, Stonewall events and additional Atlanta Pride Committee events and projects.

Photo: Buck Cooke at this year's Atlanta Pride festival, the largest LGBT celebration in the Southeast. (by Dyana Bagby)