Meet Max Burns

Max was born in Millen and raised in rural Screven County Georgia. His father was the local bread truck driver and mother the county nurse.  Max and his sister lost their mother when they were young.  Through hard work and education, Max has served his state and country in many ways. 

Senator Max Burns is currently the Georgia State Senator for Senate District 23 which contains 11 counties. He was first sworn-in in January 2021.  On November 5, 2024, he was reelected to the Georgia General Assembly for a 3rd term. 

Burns was the 18th President of Gordon State College, Barnesville, Georgia from January 2012 until his retirement in December 2017.  Prior to his appointment at Gordon, Burns served as Dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia, Dahlonega, Georgia. 

Burns served in the 108th Congress representing Georgia’s 12th Congressional District, which included many of the same counties in the 23rd State Senate District.  After his Congressional service, he joined Thelen Reid & Priest, LLC as Senior Policy Advisor supporting clients with federal issues in energy, commerce and agriculture.  He has also served on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Fulbright Association and Southern Association of Colleges & Schools - Commission on Colleges.

Prior to his service in Congress, Burns was Professor of Management in the College of Business Administration at Georgia Southern University, Statesboro, Georgia.  During his tenure at Georgia Southern, Burns was a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Sweden and visiting professor of information management at Massey University in Auckland, New Zealand and the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia.

Burns began his career in business and industry working for Fortune 500 companies and national non-profits in Atlanta, Miami and New York.  He spent over a decade building and managing organizations to meet the needs of customers and constituents.

Burns holds a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a Master’s of Business Information Systems from Georgia State University and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Georgia State University. 

Max is also the former Chairman of the Screven County Commission and spent several terms as a Commissioner between 1985 - 2000.

Early in Max’s career he served in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Lieutenant. 

He and his wife Lora have been married for over 50 years.  They live on the family cattle farm in Screven County.  They have two sons and three grandchildren.  In his spare time Dr. Burns enjoys reading, travel, golf and bass fishing.  The Burns' are active members of Jackson Baptist Church in Sylvania.  Max is a retired Deacon at Jackson Baptist.