Gov. Nathan Deal announced the departure of David Werner, executive counsel to the governor. Beginning Nov. 1, Werner will become the director of state and local government relations for Delta Air Lines.
 
“Werner has been an instrumental member of my administration since the 2010 campaign and I’m grateful for his service to our state,” said Deal. “During his tenure, Werner has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to the well-being of our citizens and his efforts as executive counsel have helped to advance the interests of many Georgians. His knowledge and experience have been assets to the State of Georgia and I wish him the best as he transitions to the private sector.”
 
Deal tapped Carey Miller, deputy executive counsel and public safety policy advisor, as Werner’s replacement. Miller will assume this position on Oct. 15.
 
David Werner – Director of State and Local Government Relations, Delta Air Lines

Werner currently serves as executive counsel in the governor’s office. He previously held leadership positions at the Georgia Department of Economic Development and returned from GDEcD at the request of Gov. Deal. Werner has worked in the governor’s office as state COO, deputy chief of staff of legislative and external affairs, deputy executive counsel and public safety policy advisor. He also held staff positions in both the Georgia House and Senate. Werner is a former co-chairman of the Governor's Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform and is a member of the Federalist Society, the Council on Foreign Relations and the University of Georgia Board of Visitors. He sits on the boards of the Georgia Ports Authority, the Jasper Ocean Terminal Joint Project and the University of Georgia School of Public and International Affairs. In 2016, Werner was selected as a Marshall Memorial Fellow focusing on trans-Atlantic relations. He was named by the state’s leading legal news publication, the Fulton County Daily Report, to its “On the Rise” class of 2015 and to the University of Georgia Alumni Association’s 2015 “40 under 40” list. Werner is a graduate of Leadership Georgia. He is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the Emory University School of Law. He and his wife, Suzanne, have one daughter. They reside in Atlanta and are members of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church.
 
Carey Miller – Executive Counsel

Miller is currently deputy executive counsel and public safety policy advisor in the governor’s office. He is a co-chairman of the Georgia Council on Criminal Justice Reform and sits on the State Steering Committee for the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative. Miller is the former senior managing editor of the Georgia Journal of International and Comparative Law and a former president of the Student Bar Association at the University of Georgia School of Law. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science and a law degree from the University of Georgia. Miller and his wife, Jessica, reside in Decatur.