Michael A. Smith was appointed the Chief of Staff for the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS) by Governor Brian P. Kemp on September 1, 2020. Smith brings over 43 years of public safety service to this role.

As Chief of Staff for GEMA/HS, Mike has played a critical part in managing and coordinating Georgia’s response to major emergencies, including the COVID-19 pandemic, tornado outbreaks, severe winter weather, and Hurricane Helene—a record-breaking disaster that caused billions of dollars in damages across the state.

Before joining GEMA/HS, Smith was the Deputy Director of the Georgia Emergency Communications Authority (GECA). He also spent 18 years as the Director of the Covington-Newton County 911 Center, where he spearheaded significant improvements to emergency communications, including the establishment of a state-of-the-art 911 Center that became one of only ten internationally accredited 911 centers worldwide.

Smith’s extensive public safety career began in 1982 as a Dispatcher and Patrol Officer with the Covington Police Department. Over the years, he has held multiple leadership roles, including Deputy, Firearms Instructor, District Attorney’s Investigator, and SWAT Team Counter-Sniper for the Newton County Sheriff’s Department. In 1990, he was promoted to Lieutenant and assigned to the East Metro Drug Enforcement Team (EMDET), where he led multi-jurisdictional drug operations across local, state, and interstate levels. His success in this role led to his appointment as EMDET Commander in 1995 and later as a lead consultant on Drug Taskforce Operations for the Governor’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council of Georgia.

A recognized leader in public safety, Smith was elected as the first-ever President of the 911 Directors Association, served on the Georgia Law Enforcement Terrorism Prevention Program Executive Committee, and was named Public Safety Officer of the Year in 2004 and 2005.

Outside of his professional life, Smith enjoys cooking, camping, and traveling with his wife of 41 years, Dana, their son, Andrew Steven Smith, and daughter-in-law, Leanna Smith.