Georgia regents name former Southern Company leader Fanning as next chancellor

By Ty Tagami Bureau

Chief Capitol Beat News Service

 

ATLANTA — Georgia’s Board of Regents formalized the hiring Thursday of the next leader of the state’s 25 public colleges and universities, naming Thomas A. Fanning as chancellor.

The former president and CEO of Southern Company will take control of the University System of Georgia on Jan. 1, the day after Sonny Perdue retires.

The regents named Fanning sole finalist last month.

“As a proud USG graduate, I know firsthand the transformative power of this system,” Fanning said in a statement.

The Georgia Tech graduate, who went on to earn a master’s degree there, said his priorities are to ensure college remains accessible, to support innovation and to drive the state’s economy with talented graduates.

Fanning led Southern Company from 2010 to 2023. He also chaired the Cybersecurity Advisory Committee of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency and the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

After leading the university system for four years, Perdue announced his retirement in April, prompting a five-month search for his successor.

Perdue served as agriculture secretary for President Donald Trump during his first term in the White House and as Georgia’s first Republican governor since Reconstruction starting in 2003.