Quarterly Luncheon

Michael L. Thurmond has earned the reputation of being a “turnaround expert” after transforming the culture and operations of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, the Georgia Department of Labor, the DeKalb County School District, and most recently the DeKalb County Government where he served as Chief Executive Officer from 2017-2024. 

As CEO of one of the largest and most diverse counties in the United States, Thurmond ushered in a “New Day” of trust, accountability and efficiency in the county government. With an annual budget of $1.6 billion dollars and more than 6,000 employees, he led a dramatic transformation that improved customer service, upgraded public infrastructure, increased employee salaries and compensation, reduced crime and enhanced housing affordability.    

The Georgia Chapter of the American Society of Public Administrators
recognized Thurmond as the Public Administrator of the Year in 2023 for his leadership during the Covid 19 pandemic.  

He is also an attorney, motivational speaker and award-winning author.

His latest book, “James Oglethorpe, Father of Georgia: A Founder’s Journey from Slave Trader to Abolitionist” documents the life and legacy Oglethorpe and the critical contributions of enslaved Black Georgians who lived, fought and died for freedom.

CEO Thurmond, a sharecropper's son, holds a Bachelor of Arts in philosophy and religion from Paine College and a Juris Doctor degree from the University of South Carolina’s School of Law.  Thurmond also completed the Political Executives program at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In 1986, Thurmond became the first African American elected to the Georgia legislature from Athens since Reconstruction and was the only African American elected from a majority white district. In 1998 he was elected Georgia Labor Commissioner, becoming one of the first African Americans to be elected to statewide office in Georgia.

He is married to Zola Fletcher Thurmond, and they have one daughter, Mikaya.