Governor Kemp appoints new GBI director. Were women and people of color considered?

Following the recent departure of Micahel Register as the head of the GBI, Gov. Brian Kemp recently announced that he has promoted Chris Hosey to the lead position for the agency. The GBI Director is the official who leads the statewide agency that has a multi-faceted law enforcement mission in Georgia.

Hosey formerly was the head of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s Investigative Division. He succeeds former Director Mike Register who resigned to return to Cobb County as the Director of Public Safety.  

According to the 2021 census, Georgia has a population of an estimated 10,912,876 people in the state. Of that number, 51.2% are women and 33.1% are Black, yet each time an appointment is made to lead this top agency, Governor Kemp has appointed a White male. Some have spoken to SPOTLIGHT and wondered if Kemp has ever considered appointing a woman or Black person to this role. They also commented on how many roles remain out of reach for women and people of color in the year 2023. 

The GBI has had a succession of directors in the span of a few years. Long serving GBI Director Vernon Keenan retired on Jan. 1, 2019 after a total of 40 years with the GBI, with the last 15 years as the director.

Vic Reynolds was appointed Keenan’s successor and served from February 2019 August 15, 2022. He resigned as GBI Director after being appointed to the Cobb County Superior Court by Kemp.  

Michael Register was appointed August 25, 2022 and recently left to return to a position he held previously in Cobb County. 

Said Kemp on his appointment of Hosey, “Chris has dedicated his career to protecting the people of our state as a proud member of law enforcement. With over 35 years of experience at the GBI, he brings a wealth of institutional knowledge and skill to this role.” 

In 1987, Hosey began with the GBI as a narcotics agent in the agency’s Local Violators Squad. He was promoted in 2001 to assistant special agent in charge of a multijurisdictional drug task force and in 2012, he was promoted again as an inspector in charge of various drug operations and the GBI’s Training Unit. In 2020, Hosey became deputy director of investigations.

Hosey has a BA degree in Sociology from Georgia Southwestern State University and a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Columbus State University. Hosey is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy.