Gabriel Sterling spoke to NPF statehouse reporting fellows in Madison, Wisconsin Sept. 19, 2023 about his experiences following the 2020 election.

Sterling is the chief operating officer/chief financial officer for the Georgia Secretary of State, and he is also serving Georgians as the interim director of the Professional Licensing Division of the office.

He gained visibility last year as the Statewide Voting System Implementation Manager when he oversaw the largest rollout of voting equipment in U.S. history with Georgia’s new, secure paper ballot system — on time and under budget. In that role, he led the response to the COVID pandemic by moving quickly to build a high-capacity absentee ballot system, securing protective equipment and sanitizer for the counties that run elections. After the November election, he frequently briefed the media on the details of the largest hand recount in the United States and a second recount. He gained worldwide attention when he gave an impassioned defense of election workers and called on President Trump and others in positions of responsibility to stop spreading disinformation surrounding the November General Election.

Before coming to the Secretary of State’s office, his involvement with elections was from the other side of the table in that he had a long career as a political consultant with several campaigns on the state and federal level, going back to his teenage years here in Georgia. He also worked as a business and operations consultant to firms as small as $1 million and up to $100 million in sales.

He is a graduate of the University of Georgia. In his personal time, he enjoys yardwork, cooking and especially engaging in making great BBQ.