Georgia Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger announced key personnel changes within his office.

Charlene McGowan will be taking over the role of General Counsel from Ryan Germany, who has joined the Gilbert Harrell law firm in Atlanta. Matt Tyser, former Roswell City Councilmember and CFO will serve as Deputy Chief Operating Officer, and former Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann will lead the office's county outreach efforts.

“I’m excited to welcome this new group of talented people to the office,” Raffensperger said. “I believe we have a dynamic team of experienced professionals who can serve the people of Georgia efficiently and effectively.”

Charlene McGowan - General Counsel
Charlene McGowan will serve as General Counsel for the office of Secretary of State, having previously held the position of Assistant Attorney General for Georgia’s Attorney General. In this role, McGowan served as legal counsel to the Secretary of State and State Election Board and represented state officials in defending Georgia’s election laws, including the Election Integrity Act, in state and federal trial and appellate courts. Previously, McGowan served as legal policy advisor to the Chairman of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, providing oversight of regulatory, compliance, and legislative matters within the agency. In addition to her public service, McGowan spent ten years as a commercial and intellectual property litigator in private practice.

Matt Tyser – Deputy Chief Operating Officer
Former Roswell City Council member Matthew Tyser will serve as Deputy Chief Operating Officer, with responsibilities that will include streamlining processes and increasing efficiencies for the office of Secretary of State. Tyser has over 35 years of management experience in finance and management, including acquisition analysis and integration, IT, business turnaround and developing strategies to support rapid business growth. He has served as both COO and CFO of EIS, Inc., a division of Genuine Parts Company. Prior to that, he was CFO of Unisource worldwide, a $7.0 billion distribution company and Forbes' 18th largest privately held US company in 2003.

Liz Hausmann – County Initiatives Director
Former Fulton County Commissioner Liz Hausmann will represent the Secretary of State in strengthening county relationships by leading communications efforts to educate and prepare County Commissioners and election officials on Georgia’s new voter registration system in preparation for the 2024 Presidential election, and other initiatives. Hausmann has served on the Fulton County Board of Registration and Elections, the Fulton Board of Education, the inaugural Johns Creek City Council and as an executive with the Greater North Fulton Chamber of Commerce.

“As we move to a successful second term, our leadership team is dedicated to putting Georgians first and once again proving the naysayers and talking heads wrong,” said Deputy Secretary of State Jordan Fuchs. “We are thankful to continue to attract top talent around the state who share our vision to ensure safe, secure and accessible elections.”