License to Work

Secretary of State Brian Kemp Keynotes May 14 Leadership Breakfast

Atlanta – The Office of Georgia’s Secretary of State is responsible for voter registration and election activities, professional licensing, corporate filings and oversight of the state securities’ market – a variety of wide-ranging duties with far-reaching impacts.

Secretary of State Brian Kemp, the statewide-elected official who heads the office, will keynote the Foundation’s May 14 Leadership Breakfast, “License to Work,” 8 a.m. at Cobb County’s Georgian Club.

Kemp will discuss his efforts to streamline procedures and make it easier to start businesses and the challenges surrounding professional licensing. He’ll also touch on an election-related effort he’s championing – the “SEC” Primary.

This Leadership Breakfast, which is open to the public, is $30 to attend. Register online here by Tuesday, May 12. (Difficulty registering? E-mail .)

Media interested in attending must contact Benita Dodd at or 404-256-4050.

What: “License to Work,” a Leadership Breakfast
Who: Brian Kemp
When: 8 a.m. Thursday, May 14, 2015 (Registration, networking begin at 7:30 a.m.)
Where: Georgian Club, 100 Galleria Parkway, Suite 1700, Atlanta GA 30339
Directions: http://bit.ly/Y4Yyjc
Attire: Business, business casual

Refund policy: Refunds provided upon request for registrations canceled before an event’s deadline.

About Brian Kemp: Brian Kemp has been Georgia Secretary of State since January 2010, where his responsibilities include conducting secure, accessible and fair elections; the registration of corporations; the oversight and regulation of securities and the administration of professional license holders. 

Committed to using fiscally conservative business principles, Kemp is implementing technology throughout each division and removing government red tape and regulations that block economic growth and recovery and job growth. He has implemented many e-government solutions, allowing the agency to communicate more efficiently with Georgia businesses, reduce the time businesses spend on paperwork, reduce costs to Georgia’s taxpayers and make the office more transparent. 

Secretary Kemp achieved increased efficiencies throughout his agency by practicing zero-based line item budgeting and streamlining the agency’s overall workforce. To increase transparency, Secretary Kemp places both his zero-based budgeting plan and monthly expenditures on the agency Web site. 

As Georgia’s Chief Elections Administrator, Secretary Kemp has digitized interactions between the agency and voters and has established Georgia as a national model for election security. The My Voter Page (MVP) allows voters to view their sample ballot, find their early voting locations and times, find their Election Day polling location, verify their registration status and much more. Georgia’s military and overseas voters can also use MVP to receive ballots electronically. 

Secretary Kemp achieved significant victories for the protection of election security when he filed suit against the U.S. Department of Justice to obtain preclearance of Georgia’s verification system for new voter registration applicants, which includes citizenship.

He also implemented the Stop Voter Fraud Web site and a Voter Fraud Hotline so citizens can report questionable election-related activity. Additionally, the agency’s Investigations Division increased its partnerships with state and local law enforcement to investigate and prosecute voter fraud. 

Finally, Secretary Kemp established the Secretary of State’s Election Advisory Council, tasked with reviewing the Georgia Election Code and State Election Board Rules, and making recommendations. 

Before becoming Secretary of State, Kemp served in the Georgia State Senate from 2002-2006. serving in committee leadership roles including Chair of Public Safety & Homeland Security and Vice-Chair of Higher Education. 

Among his numerous business interests, the lifelong resident of Athens is the owner of Kemp Properties, a small business specializing in real estate investments and property management. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Agriculture.