Dougherty County Coroner, Michael Fowler, was recently named to the Georgia Coroner’s Training Council by the State Board of Public Safety. Fowler was sworn in at the Georgia State Capitol by Governor Brian Kemp on February 3, 2020.

Comprised of an elite board of five carefully selected coroners appointed by the Board of Public Safety, the council is charged with deciding on new training for Georgia’s coroners. The council also has the authority to de-certify coroners who fail to meet the mandatory training requirements, as well as the power to report to the Secretary of State coroners who fail to fulfill their duties or violate laws.

The first Dougherty County Coroner to be selected for the council, Fowler is the first new member to be appointed to the council in more than a decade. He is a Mortuary Science graduate of Gupton-Jones College in Atlanta and is a Certified Funeral Service Practitioner. He has been a licensed embalmer and funeral director for 33 years. Prior to serving as the Coroner of Dougherty County, Fowler retired from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation after serving 17 years as a Death Investigation Specialist.

“I was so honored to receive the call and the appointment to this council,” said Fowler. “I realize
that the greatest attribute of a leader is the willingness and ability to serve. As long as I live, I
will continue to serve. By being placed on the Georgia Coroner’s Training Council, I cannot only
serve, but I can bring all of my experience, education, and expertise to the council to better serve
Georgia and help enhance my fellow coroners in Georgia.”

Fowler has also served on the Georgia Composite Medical Board and currently serves on the Board of ASPIRE’s Albany Area Community Service Board. He served for 18 years on the Georgia State Board of Funeral Service. Fowler’s various leadership roles include serving as the former president and vice chairman of the Georgia Funeral Service Practitioners Association, as well as the past president of the Council of Economic Development. He is also a member of the Academy of Graduate Embalmers and the Academy of Professional Funeral Service Practice.

On a national level, Fowler has been a member of the National Disaster Medical System’s Disaster Mortuary Team since 1994 and has worked in many morgue operations of mass fatalities, including
23 national and international natural disasters. Some of these disasters include the Albany
floods, Hurricane Michael, Rita, Katrina, Maria, and Irma, as well as the tsunami in Asia
and the devastating earthquake hitting Haiti. Fowler also worked the 9/11 World Trade Center
tragedy at Ground Zero and has responded to numerous plane crashes.

“It is an honor for me and for Dougherty County to have one of our own to represent and serve at
the state level,” added Fowler.