Gordon County’s new Emergency Management Agency Deputy Director Christina Byrd was formally introduced to the Gordon County Board of Commissioners during its meeting Tuesday, Aug. 4.
Gordon County EMA Director Courtney Taylor told commissioners that Byrd officially began her duties earlier that week and said she has already made an impression in her new role.
“She’s been here for two days, and I already can’t say enough about her,” Taylor said. “We will be at the Commissioners meeting in September to give our EMA report, but my plan is, instead of telling you what we’ve done at EMA for the past year, is to tell you what we’ve done for the past month, and I have that much confidence that she will already have that much on the books to report.”
Taylor said one of Byrd’s major responsibilities will be expanding community education and outreach programs through Gordon County EMA.
“We will have her out and about, with the robot, doing different things with community education,” Taylor said.
Taylor said that within Byrd’s first two days, EMA had already scheduled a quarterly community CPR class. The first class is set for Sept. 24 at the Gordon County Administration Building and will be held from 1 to 4 p.m. for county employees and members of the community. The only cost will be $7.50 for the certification card.
Byrd is also scheduled to work with Gordon County Fire Rescue during Fire Prevention Month in October, participating in programs at schools throughout the county.
Taylor praised Byrd’s background in emergency management and told commissioners he sees her as someone who could eventually lead Gordon County EMA.
“My goal for her is for her to be your next Emergency Management Director,” Taylor said.
Taylor said he hopes to support Byrd in her new position and prepare her to eventually take over the agency following his retirement.
Byrd brings more than a decade of emergency preparedness experience to Gordon County. She began her emergency management career in 2012 as a Community Emergency Response Team, or CERT, volunteer before becoming an instructor and program coordinator.
She moved into emergency management full time in 2020 with Whitfield County, where she supported complex emergency operations, coordinated multi-agency responses and contributed to emergency planning, training, public education and large-scale exercises.
Among Byrd’s accomplishments is the creation of a Place of Worship Safety Seminar. The preparedness initiative combines emergency planning, Stop the Bleed training, Civilian Response to Active Shooter Events, disaster psychology and faith-based resilience.
The program was later recognized by the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a case study in its guidance for engaging faith-based and community organizations in emergency planning.
Byrd earned her Bachelor of Science in Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management from Arkansas State University in May 2026. She also holds the designation of Georgia Advanced Certified Emergency Manager and Communications Unit Leader.
She is an active member of the International Association of Emergency Managers, serves on the Emergency Management Association of Georgia Legislative Committee and participates on the Georgia Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster Long-Term Recovery Committee.