Two metro Atlanta leaders are working with the Obama administration to establish its urban policy agenda. Catherine Ross, director of the Center for Quality Growth at Georgia Tech; and DeKalb County CEO Burrell Ellis, headed to Washington D.C. for a roundtable discussion advising the White House Office of Urban Affairs. President Barack Obama addressed the urban and political leaders in the afternoon explaining how the federal government can develop policies to improve housing, education and transportation systems in urban areas. Ross and Ellis both praised the administration for their attention to urban issues, and their inclusionary approach.