Gov. Brian Kemp’s top aide is stepping down in January to take a senior executive position at Georgia Power after more than three years as one of the state’s most influential powerbrokers.
Trey Kilpatrick announced Tuesday he would leave office on Jan. 15 to become senior vice president of external affairs at the utility giant. Lauren Curry, the deputy chief of staff, will succeed Kilpatrick and become the first woman in state history to permanently fill that role.
After serving as the top aide to U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson, Kilpatrick joined Kemp’s administration in October 2020 at a perilous time for the first-term governor.
Kemp was grappling with an expanding coronavirus pandemic, an economic slowdown that imperiled his agenda and infighting with lawmakers. Two weeks after Kilpatrick started, Joe Biden became the first Democratic presidential nominee to capture Georgia since 1992.
Then-President Donald Trump blamed Kemp for his defeat, and soon the Georgia governor would be booed at GOP gatherings around the state. Democrat Stacey Abrams launched a rematch bid against Kemp the same week that David Perdue announced a primary challenge with Trump’s blessing.
Kilpatrick set about strengthening Kemp’s ties with lawmakers and help insulate him from GOP backlash. Along with Curry, he was an architect of Kemp’s policy agenda, which included a host of priorities aimed at both moderate and conservative voters ahead of last year’s election.
Credit: Jim Galloway
Credit: Jim Galloway
Kilpatrick also leaned on his ties in Washington to navigate crises and burnish Kemp’s brand as an up-and-coming Republican figure. After Kemp’s reelection victory, Kilpatrick maneuvered to ensure Kemp remained in the national conversation. Internally, he was seen as an efficient task-manager, keen strategist and a stabilizing force.
They parted on amicable terms -- so much so that Cody Hall, a Kemp strategist, said Kilpatrick will “remain a close ally” of the governor after he leaves office in mid-January.
“Running state government while also preparing the governor for re-election - in the context the team found ourselves in - was not for the faint of heart,” Hall said. “But Trey did the job with remarkable political acumen and a relentless work ethic that was vital to the governor’s success.”
Kemp credited Kilpatrick’s “dedicated leadership as chief of staff” and said he was “excited for him as he enters the private sector.”
Georgia Power, the state’s largest utility, is one of the most influential companies in the state and under the Gold Dome, where it employs a roster of lobbyists. Kilpatrick would not have a direct role in lobbying, though he will oversee the staff that does. The utility is regulated by the state Public Services Commission.
The governor’s aides say Kilpatrick’s departure shouldn’t be read as an indicator of Kemp’s political future. He is a potential U.S. Senate contender in 2026 when Democrat Jon Ossoff is up for a second term -- and, his supporters say, a possible national candidate in future elections.
Senior staff routinely leave for private-sector gigs during a Georgia governor’s second term, and Kilpatrick, who was paid a $205,000 salary, has long viewed Curry as a potential successor thanks to her decades of experience in state government.
Curry started her career in the early 2000s as a press aide to then-Gov. Sonny Perdue before taking high-level jobs at the Departments of Economic Development and Natural Resources and the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency.
She rose to become deputy director of the state Environmental Protection Division before Kemp hired her as his policy director. Once in Kemp’s orbit, Curry was soon promoted to chief operating officer and then deputy chief of staff.
Brad Bohannon, who is now director of government affairs and policy, will become Kemp’s deputy chief of staff.
Curry and her team now faces their own challenges, including pressing Kemp’s agenda at a time when other Republicans are already jockeying to succeed him in a wide-open 2026 race for governor.
