On January 1st, 2022, Alex Atwood joined the faculty of the School of Business and Public Management, College of Coastal Georgia. Prior to assuming this position, Professor Atwood served as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Administrative Services, overseeing all State-Wide Contracting, Risk Management, Fleet Management, Human Resources Administration and Surplus Property for the State of Georgia. In this position, Professor Atwood also served on numerous state boards and authorities and represented the State of Georgia as a member of the National Association of State Chief Administrators.

Professor Atwood holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University, a Master of Arts in International Relations from Webster College, a Juris Doctor (J.D.) in Law (Cum Laude) from Atlanta’s John Marshall School of Law and a Master of Law (LL.M.) from Georgia State University’s School of Law. Professor Atwood is a member of the legal honor fraternity Sigma Delta Kappa, was a recipient of the Corpus Juris Secumdum Award for academic excellence, is a member of the Golden Key International Honor Society, and is a Fellow of the Lawyers Foundation of Georgia. Professor Atwood is also a graduate of the Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia.

Professor Atwood has served as a member of the United States Attorneys Committee for Project Safe Neighborhood, an Adjunct Instructor at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary, a member of the Legal Advisors Section to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, a legal advisor to the Georgia Sheriff’s Association, and as a member of the Executive Committee of the Georgia Council of Magistrate Court Judges.

Prior to his appointment as Commissioner, Professor Atwood enjoyed many operational and command roles including service as the Chief of Legal Training for the Department of Homeland Security, Federal Law Enforcement Training Center, Special Agent and Supervisory Special Agent for several federal executive branch agencies, Chief Operating Officer of Alpha Protective Services, Inc., a 700-member security corporation which provided security services for the federal government and the National Football League, as the Chief Judge of the Magistrate Court of Glynn County, and as the founding partner of Atwood Choate, PC. Professor Atwood also served for 34 years in the United States Marine Corps Reserve in ground, aviation and Intelligence positions, entering service as a Private and retiring at the rank of full Colonel.

Professor Atwood also served as a State Representative in the Georgia House of Representatives where among many committee assignments he served as Appropriations Committee Chairman for Public Safety, Vice-Chair of the Juvenile Justice Committee, and Secretary of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. Representative Atwood also served as Majority Caucus Deputy Whip and as a member of the Jekyll Island Legislative Oversight Committee.