Richard Steele became Gwinnett County’s new tax commissioner Sunday.

Steele replaces Katherine Meyer, who retired April 30 after 26 years in office. He will fill the remainder of her term, which expires in December 2012.

Steele joined the tax commissioner’s office in 2005, serving as chief deputy tax commissioner, director of property tax and motor vehicles branch manager. He previously worked as operations manager for the UGA Campus Transit System and as a budget analyst for the Centers for Disease Control.

A 1996 University of Georgia graduate, Steele lives in Buford with his wife and two children.