Gov. Kemp Announces Incoming Revenue Commissioner

ATLANTA - Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced his appointment of David Burge as the incoming Commissioner of the Department of Revenue (DOR), following the confirmation of current commissioner Frank O'Connell by the Georgia House and Senate Judiciary Committees as the state's first Tax Court Chief Judge. Governor Kemp officially appointed O'Connell as DOR Commissioner in February 2023 after more than two decades of dedicated work within the Department, and he will officially become the Chief Judge on April 1, 2026.

"Marty and I are truly grateful for Frank O'Connell's years of service to the people of our state and for his great strides in improving the efficiency of the Department of Revenue," said Governor Brian Kemp. "That unwavering commitment to putting the best interests of hardworking Georgians first is why I nominated him to be Chief Judge of the Tax Court, and those values will serve him well as the very first person to serve in this role."

David Burge will begin his service at the Department of Revenue on February 1, 2026, and will officially take over as commissioner on February 16.

"David has spent decades making Georgia's communities and economy stronger, both in his professional and personal capacities," said Governor Kemp. "Marty and I are thankful that he will continue this good work after accepting the call to serve at the Department of Revenue, where he will always prioritize the good stewardship of taxpayer money."

David Burge is currently a partner at Smith, Gambrell & Russell, LLP in Atlanta where he focuses on real estate transactions in commercial lending, corporate, and capital markets; as well as in general leasing, sale, and purchase. Governor Kemp also appointed him to the Georgia Department of Community Affairs board in 2020, where he subsequently served as both Chair and Vice-Chair, providing oversight to the state agency responsible for operating 65 programs and managing nearly $300 million in state and federal funding annually. Burge is also a member of the State Ethics Commission.

Throughout his extensive and accomplished career, Burge has served on many community and statewide committees and civic organizations, including the Georgia Real Estate Commission, the Georgia Superior Court Clerks' Cooperative Authority Board, the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections, the Atlanta Bar Association and the State Bar of Georgia, the board of the Atlanta Area Council of the Boy Scouts of America, the Visitors of Emory University, and the Trustees of Buckhead Christian Ministries. He is a graduate of the Midtown Alliance Leadership Program, the Coverdell Leadership Institute, and Leadership Atlanta.

Burge earned a law degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a bachelor's degree from Vanderbilt University. He and his wife, Sally, live in Atlanta and have two children.