This Black History Month, we honor Michael L. Thurmond, a DeKalb County leader whose career reflects transformative leadership, public service, and a commitment to restoring trust and strengthening communities.

DeKalb County History Maker | Michael L. Thurmond

Michael L. Thurmond Mike Thurmond

is a transformative public servant whose leadership has played a defining role in DeKalb County and across the State of Georgia.

In 2016, Thurmond was elected Chief Executive Officer of DeKalb County, one of the most diverse counties in the Southeast. Since his swearing-in on January 1, 2017, his primary mission was restoring trust in county government while strengthening fiscal responsibility, improving public services, and advancing quality-of-life.

Widely regarded as a “turnaround expert,” Thurmond has led complex organizations through periods of significant challenge and reform. His leadership includes transforming operations at the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, the Georgia Department of Labor, and the DeKalb County School District. As superintendent of DeKalb schools, he helped stabilize the system during a governance crisis, protect its accreditation, eliminate a multimillion-dollar deficit, and improve student achievement and graduation rates.

Thurmond’s public service career spans decades. In 1986, he became the first African American elected to the Georgia General Assembly from Clarke County since Reconstruction, where he authored major legislation providing more than $250 million in tax relief to Georgia’s senior citizens and working families. He later led Georgia’s historic transition from welfare to work, creating the Work First program.

Thurman earned a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and religion from Paine College, a Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law, and completed the Political Executives program at Harvard Kennedy School. He has also served as a distinguished lecturer at the University of Georgia Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

Michael L. Thurmond’s legacy reflects Black history grounded in leadership, reform, and a lifelong commitment to public service — with a lasting impact on DeKalb County and beyond.