Writer: Alexander Popp
Published April 6, 2021
Forsyth County News
David McKee will join the Forsyth County government on Monday, April 12, as the assistant county manager. McKee will oversee operations of the county’s engineering, recycling and solid waste, fleet services, public transportation and public facilities departments.
He will also serve as the executive manager for all transportation-related activities and responsibilities and will be the county’s key contact with the Georgia Department of Transportation.
McKee brings 15 years of county administration experience. He joined Dawson County in 2006, working in environmental compliance, engineering, GIS and planning. Since 2015, he served as Dawson County’s Public Works director and SPLOST Administrator.
“Transportation solutions continue to be a focus for our community,” said County Manager Kevin Tanner. “David has a proven track record of successful leadership positions in county government, including a background in managing transportation projects. I am confident he is the right fit for Forsyth County.”
At the Dawson County Board of Commissioners Voting Session on April 1, McKee told the board of his new role as assistant county manager in Forsyth County.
McKee’s tenure with Dawson County began with an unpaid internship that the Forsyth County native took for a college degree program. Over the last decade-and-a-half McKee worked his way up the ladder, serving in a variety of different roles including director of planning and development, director of administration and public works director.
“If you would have told me at that time that I would be standing here before you today, 16 years later, I would have laughed,” McKee said. “I would have said, ‘not a chance.’”
Speaking to the Dawson County News after the meeting, McKee said that Dawson County will still always be home for him, but the professional opportunity was one he couldn’t pass up.
“It’s bittersweet,” McKee said. “But like I said last night, I’m not telling anyone goodbye, just ‘until next time.”
McKee holds a bachelor’s degree in Geology from Georgia Southern University. He has attained an Advanced Certificate of Public Works Management from the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government and American Public Works Association.
