Gov. Deal announces changes at GEMHSA

ATLANTA — Department of Corrections commissioner Homer Bryson has been appointed director of the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMHSA), effective Dec. 1 after current director Jim Butterworth moves to the private sector, Gov. Nathan Deal announced.

Deal also recommended the nomination of Greg Dozier as commissioner of the Department of Corrections to fill Bryson's vacancy.

Pending board approval, the appointment will take effect Dec. 1.

“I would like to thank Jim Butterworth for his extensive service, first as a floor leader at the beginning of my administration through his time leading the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency,” Deal said. “Under Jim’s leadership as adjunct general, the Georgia National Guard was recognized as the nation’s No. 1 Army Guard unit in 2013. I wish him the best in his future endeavors as he moves to the private sector. Further, I am confident in the abilities of Commissioner Bryson and Greg Dozier to continue to be effective leaders in their new respective roles.”

Bryson has served as commissioner of the Department of Corrections for the last 20 months.

He was previously deputy commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) for four years.

Bryson previously served as a colonel in the DNR law enforcement division, working his way up from conservation ranger.

He is a member of the Georgia State Indemnification Commission and a trustee of the Peace Officers’ Annuity and Benefit Fund.

Bryson is a past president of the Peace Officers’ Association of Georgia. He earned a bachelor’s degree from Valdosta State College and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University. Bryson and his wife, Lisa, have three children and live in Flowery Branch.

Dozier joined the Georgia Department of Corrections as assistant commissioner to the chief of staff in October 2012.

He is a member of the Peace Officer Standards and Training Council and the sentencing committee for the Criminal Justice Reform Council.

Dozier began his career in state government in 1995 as an analyst for the Legislative Budget Office.

He was the director of accounting for the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, a policy coordinator in the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, the division director of the General Government and Public Safety Division and commissioner of the Georgia Department of Driver Services.

Dozier earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and an MBA from Georgia State University. He and his wife, Stephanie, have two children and live in Covington.

Cox Media Group