Governing Board

Mike Beatty

Commissioner, Georgia Department of Community Affairs

Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Mike Beatty to serve as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs in June 2003. Known for his leadership skills in education, business and government, Commissioner Beatty’s background provided him a unique perspective of the challenges facing our state’s local communities.

Prior to his service as DCA Commissioner, Mike Beatty worked as an educator and businessman. As an educator, Commissioner Beatty taught history and coached football for eight years in Northeast Georgia schools. As a businessman, he and his wife Judy started and operated several small businesses, including a poultry and cattle farm.

His initial government service was as an elected leader. As a state legislator, Commissioner Beatty served northeast Georgia in both the state House of Representatives and the state Senate. During his tenure in the Georgia General Assembly, his hard work on numerous issues was recognized by his constituents and several organizations, including the Georgia Family Council and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

As DCA Commissioner, Mike Beatty built on the agency’s “can-do” attitude and has worked with his team to launch a number of community-building programs, including: Team Georgia, which encourages collaboration between DCA’s unique divisions in an effort to better serve its customers; The Signature Community Program which works with communities already on the right track and helps them implement key portions of their comprehensive plans; Opportunity Zones to encourage the creation of jobs and businesses in communities transitioning from blight to economic growth; Winning Water Festivals to teach Georgia’s young people about the importance of water to our community’s growth and prosperity; and Dream City partnerships with many Georgia cities to encourage homeownership opportunities throughout our state.

Mike Beatty has also led the way to promote and enhance many other programs that support DCA’s core objectives of helping build communities, enabling economic development, promoting housing options and fostering sustainable development.

Commissioner Beatty serves as Governor Perdue’s alternate to the Appalachian Regional Commission and as chairperson of the state’s Coastal Comprehensive Planning Advisory Committee, which has been tasked with helping to define the future for our beautiful and growing coast.

His other board services include the Georgia Environmental Facilities Authority, OneGeorgia Authority, Governor’s Workforce Investment Board, Land Conservation Council and the Georgia Water Council. Mike Beatty is a lifelong resident of Jackson County and a graduate of The University of Georgia. He and his wife Judy have been married for 35 years. They are the parents of one daughter and the grandparents of three. The Beattys are members of Grove Level Baptist Church in Maysville, Georgia.