John Watson

John is a founding member of Impact Public Affairs and for more than 20 years has been active at the highest levels of government, public policy, politics and business in the State of Georgia.

Over this time, John has served in a number of critical positions in government, including Chief of Staff to Governor Sonny Perdue. Governor Perdue’s successor, Nathan Deal, appointed John as a Vice-Chairman of Governor-Elect Nathan Deal’s transition team and most recently, John worked closely with Governor Kemp and his senior team as Chairman of the Georgia Republican Party during the historic 2018 election cycle.

A former member of the Board of Directors for the Georgia World Congress Center and the Georgia Lottery Corporation, John has also served on the Board of Advisors for the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce and as Board member of the Georgia Chamber of Commerce.

In addition to his experiences in public affairs, John served as the senior business development partner for TPA Realty Services, a full-service commercial real estate development firm. At TPA, John worked closely with the commercial real estate community and state economic development officials to promote TPA’s industrial and business parks throughout Georgia. Most significantly, John served as a lead negotiator for a $1 Billion transaction with Baxter Pharmaceuticals, which will create approximately 1500 jobs in Georgia.

A 1991 graduate of Wake Forest University with a degree in Politics. John, his wife, Kimberly, and their two daughters live in Marietta, Georgia.