Don M. Bolia
Partner
PRACTICES
Government Affairs
Federal Affairs
EDUCATION
Emory University (1991) B.A.
History
EXPERIENCE
Don Bolia provides industry leaders with strategic advice on how legislative trends will impact their businesses and assists them in shaping policy debates at the state, federal, and local levels in Georgia.
He manages clients’ relationships before the Georgia General Assembly, as well as numerous city and county governments and agencies. His background and experience especially give clients an edge on conducting business with local governments. Because of his key relationships at the municipal level, his clients are able to clearly communicate their message to the pertinent decision makers.
Mr. Bolia began his political career working for then Congressman Newt Gingrich in Washington, D.C. In 1991, he was appointed the Political Director of the Georgia Republican Party. In that capacity, he was directly responsible for managing the GOP’s statewide effort to elect Republicans to the Georgia General Assembly.
In 1993, he was appointed chief of staff of the Fulton County Commission chairman. During Mr. Bolia’s first weeks in office, Fulton County, Georgia’s most populous county, cut taxes for the first time in a decade and the chairman’s office returned over $180,000 in savings from the chairman’s budget alone. Mr. Bolia was responsible for directing the chairman’s agenda and working with the Board of Commissioners.
In 1994, Mr. Bolia was appointed executive director of the Georgia Republican Party, during an election cycle that saw Republicans win six state-level offices for the first time since Reconstruction, including insurance commissioner, superintendent of schools, and a majority of the seats on the Public Service Commission.
Mr. Bolia was the president of D&B Communications, a government affairs and public relations firm he founded in 1995. Working in a bipartisan manner, he advocated for the passage of several important pieces of legislation on behalf of his clients and developed a unique niche that focused on lobbying county and city governments.
He served as treasurer of the G-8 PAC, the political fundraising arm of the GOP members of Congress from Georgia, and managed the transition team for the superintendent of schools, cutting the internal budget from $35 million to $19 million. He currently serves as treasurer of the Republican Leadership Fund.
Considered a leader in campaign management and grassroots training, Mr. Bolia has managed statewide campaign training seminars. Don continues to advise key political leaders on campaign and other strategic initiatives.
He has been named one of the state’s top 40 business leaders under 40 by Georgia Trend magazine, and was recently named Jeff Dickerson’s “Winner of the Week” on WAGA-TV’s political roundtable program The Georgia Gang.
CIVIC AND CHARITABLE
• Arthritis Foundation – Georgia Chapter, Chair, Board of Directors
• Republican Leadership Fund, Treasurer