Deal names Department of Driver Services commissioner

Gov. Nathan Deal today announced that he has named Bert Brantley, deputy executive director of the State Road & Tollway Authority (SRTA), to succeed Rob Mikell as commissioner of the Department of Driver Services (DDS).

“The Department of Driver Services has remained vital to the security and identification of Georgians for decades,” said Deal. “Bert brings with him years of experience that will allow him to confidently and effectively lead the department in its mission to provide Georgians with secure driver and identity credentials. I appreciate his willingness to take on this new, exciting challenge, and I thank Commissioner Mikell for his long-standing leadership and commitment to the state.”

In 2015, under Mikell’s leadership, DDS served 94.2 percent of more than 3.7 million customers within 30 minutes or less. The average wait-time for customers was less than an 11 minutes per transaction, a decrease of 45 percent in wait-time since 2011. He also established Georgia as one of the 23 states compliant with Real ID requirements.

Bert Brantley
Brantley is the deputy executive director of the SRTA, a state-level, independent Authority created by the Georgia General Assembly to operate tolled transportation facilities within the State and act as the transportation financing arm for the State. Prior to his current position, Brantley served in private practice leading communications efforts on campaigns such as the statewide 2012 Charter School Constitutional Amendment and advising corporate clients. Brantley also served as director of communications and press secretary during Gov. Sonny Perdue’s second term, following more than six years in communications roles at the Georgia Department of Transportation and the Georgia Department of Economic Development. Brantley is originally from Valdosta. He and his wife, Tonya, have two children and reside in McDonough.