Kevin Tanner serves as the Trustee for the Georgia Opioid Crisis Abatement Trust. Tanner also serves as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). DBHDD serves people living with mental health challenges, substance use disorders, intellectual and developmental disabilities, or any combination of these. DBHDD is also the State of Georgia’s opioid authority.
"By implementing the opioid settlement and by building out a continuum of care, we're going to have a positive impact on all of those who have struggled with addiction. We're also going to be able to create more opportunities for recovery. Creating a vision of what Georgia needs to look like 18 years from now, when the last settlement dollar comes into the state, and laying a plan to get us there is the first step.”
--Kevin Tanner, Trustee
Prior to his appointment as DBHDD Commissioner by Governor Brian Kemp, Kevin Tanner served as the County Manager of Forsyth County, Georgia. Governor Kemp also appointed him as chair of the Behavioral Health Reform and Innovation Commission in 2019, helping to secure meaningful improvements in this field. Previously, he served four terms as a State Representative for District 9 and has a total of thirty-two years in public service.
Before his time in the General Assembly, Tanner served as the Dawson County Manager where he oversaw day-to-day operations as the county’s chief operating officer. He was recognized in 2011 as the Appointed Official of the Year by the Georgia Association of County Commissioners and in 2007 as one of Georgia Trend Magazine's 40 under 40.
Tanner received his undergraduate degree from North Georgia College and State University and earned a Master of Public Administration from Columbus State University. He and his wife, Stacie, are the proud parents of three daughters, and he serves as a Deacon and adult Sunday school teacher at Bethel Baptist Church.