Keith A. Barker

Keith A. Barker serves as the Executive Assistant and Chief Operating Officer for DeKalb County. In this capacity, he is responsible for the management of county operational departments.

Keith has more than 28 years of experience working in local and state government and higher education. Prior to becoming DeKalb County’s COO, Keith served as Chief of Staff for the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners.  Prior to joining DeKalb County government, Keith served as a Public Service Faculty member for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. In this role, he was responsible for managing leadership development programs for state and local government appointed and elected officials. Additionally, his international work includes being a guest instructor at the Beijing Administration College in Beijing, China, the Qinghai Province Administration Institute in Xining, China and the National Administrative University in D’Abomey-Calavi, Benin, Africa. Keith was also selected to serve as Interim Assistant Director of the Carl Vinson Institute, Assistant City Manager for the City of Decatur, and Assistant County Administrator in Dougherty County, Georgia.

Keith attained his bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies from Wichita State University and his master’s degree in Public Administration from Albany State University.

Departmental Summary– Operations Group

The Operations Group provides policy direction and executive management over internal departments in DeKalb County Government.  The Operations Group also assists the CEO in developing the Executive Proposed Budget, an eight-month process that involves coordination with departments in preparing their operational budgets; and managing the review and approval from the Board of Commissioners. 

The Operations Group assists the CEO in vetting, producing and presenting the Executive Proposed Agenda.  The Executive Proposed Agenda includes department items that are necessary in conducting the County’s business, which include amendments to the county code, zonings, variances, contracts, grants and appeals.  Process improvement and employee relations are also a function of the Operations Group.

The Operations Group is divided into three function areas: Administrative Services, Development and Infrastructure.  Administrative Services, comprised of IS, GIS, Purchasing and Contracting, Human Resources, Voter Registration, and Property Appraisal departments is supervised by Keith.