Habersham County’s Emergency Management Agency director is set to give her final all-call. Lynn Smith was recognized on her retirement during the county’s Board of Commissioners meeting on Monday. Smith has been serving Habersham residents since 2006.
“She’s been an outstanding person to work with,” said City Manager Tim Sims. “She leads a really good group.”
Smith started her career at the South Georgia 911 Center as a secretary, where she steadily rose from dispatcher to director. “When the chance came to move to North Georgia, Lynn embraced the new chapter both personally and professionally,” Sims said. “She’s built the agency from the ground up, earned her bachelors degree while working full time, supported her son through college, and even went through testing to be a possible organ donor for her mother.”
The retired EMA director was named Director of the Year by the Georgia Emergency Communication Conference in 2011, 2018, and 2024. The director is chosen out of all 159 counties in the state.
Smith served two terms as president of the Georgia Association of Public Safety Communications Officials and currently serves on the Board of Officers. She’s responsible for Habersham’s new 911 dispatch radio tower system, which is soon to be in operation after 5 years of planning.
“We hope that she will make the first call on the new system,” County Commissioner Bruce Harkness said. “She has spearheaded that whole program. With her leadership, Habersham County is gonna be in the modern era.”
Sims predicted that the search for a new EMA director will begin later this summer. Meanwhile, E-911 Assistant Director Melanie Ballinger is being considered for the interim position.
When asked about the position, Ballinger said she looks forward to the new direction. “I don’t foresee anything changing in the department as a whole because everything is running smoothly. It’s gonna be different without her here.”
Ballinger had worked with Smith for 19 years.
“[Smith] has been awesome to learn from. She’s a leader, she’s a good mentor, she brought in a wealth of experience with her and laid the groundwork for what we are now,” she said.
Smith has been reached for comment regarding her retirement.
