On Jan. 1, 2022, Alex Atwood joined the faculty of the School of Business and Public Management at the College of Coastal Georgia. Prior to assuming this position, Professor Atwood served as Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Administrative Services, overseeing all statewide 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 John Marshall School of Law, and a Legum Magister (L.LM. – Summa Cum Laude) from Georgia State University’s School of Law. Professor Atwood is a member of the legal honor fraternity Sigma Delta Kappa and The Golden Key International Honor Society, was a recipient of the Corpus Juris Secundum Award for academic excellence, 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 on the United States Attorneys Committee for Project Safe Neighborhood; as an adjunct instructor at the International Law Enforcement Academy in Budapest, Hungary; in the Legal Advisors Section of the International Association of Chiefs of Police; as legal advisor to the Georgia Sheriff’s Association; and on 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.