Georgia Governor Brian Kemp has tapped McCaysville native Chris Stallings to serve as the new director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS).
“I am honored to assume the role of Director of GEMA/HS,” Stallings said. “It’s humbling to be entrusted with this responsibility by the Governor, and I am looking forward to continuing the Agency’s legacy of protecting the lives and property of the citizens of Georgia.”
Stallings will replace retiring Director Homer Bryson.
He currently lives in Paulding County with his wife, Stephanie, and their three children. He joined the Department of Public Safety in 2008 as a trooper in the Georgia State Patrol, and has most recently served as the director of the Department of Public Safety’s Dignitary Protection Unit.
The announcement came during a press conference in the State Operations Center Tuesday, September 1, where Kemp also announced that former Georgia Emergency Communications Authority Deputy Director Mike Smith will assume the role of GEMA/HS Chief of Staff.
“Captain Chris Stallings is smart, strategic, and prepared for anything. I have complete confidence in his ability to run GEMA/HS with the integrity and hard work that the job demands, and I’m honored to appoint him to this position,” Kemp said. “As Director Stallings transitions into this new role, he’ll need a strong partner at his side to lead this agency and tackle the challenges ahead. Mike Smith will bring years of public safety experience from his time as a police officer in Covington and Newton County and extensive work in emergency communications. I know that Chris and Mike will ensure a smooth - but quick - transition. They will conduct business with the professionalism and integrity that citizens want and deserve.”