Name: Brian P. Kemp

Family: Wife Marty and daughters Lucy, Jarrett, and              Amy Porter

Hometown: Athens, Georgia

Current Town: Athens, Georgia

School/Degree: University of Georgia/ Agriculture

Accolades: Governor of Georgia, Secretary of State, Georgia State Senator, Chair of the Republican Governors Association (RGA)

What life lessons did you learn while at UGA?

Perseverance: learning how to overcome tough obstacles and keep at a task through challenges has served me well throughout my career as both a small business owner and elected official.

What professor did you admire most?

Cecil Beggs taught me a lot both in and out of the classroom. On the weekends, he employed students in his pole barn building business which helped me gain practical life experience.

Who are your heroes in real life?

Growing up, two men had a huge influence on my life: Billy Henderson and Vince Dooley. Practically growing up in the Dooley home, and then playing under Coach Henderson at Clarke Central, those two taught me so much about what it meant to work hard and not take things in life for granted.

Quote to live by:

“Tough times don’t last; tough people do”

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

The Dawgs beat Alabama! We need to do it more often!

What is your most marked characteristic?

I would say hard work. I’ve faced a lot of challenges, whether it was sitting at our kitchen table at the end of a work week wondering if Marty and I could make it another week in our small business or leading the state during a global pandemic and civil unrest. Through them all, I’ve found that the three yards and a cloud of dust mentality has always helped me grind through tough times.

What do you value most in your friends?

All of my closest friends are loyal people. Life is full of highs and lows, and through some of what we’ve faced it would have been easy for people to walk away. Sticking by someone’s side, no matter what they’re facing, and being there for them is what sets a true friend apart.