Forsyth County names new department heads

FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth County announced its appointment of three departmental positions Feb. 20.

The county appointed Tom Cisco as director of the County Emergency Management Agency.

Cisco has 22 years of EMA experience. He previously served as deputy director of Emergency Management in Volusia County, Florida, where he led the emergency operations center through six hurricanes.

He also has held positions in Madison County, Florida, and Shelby County, Ohio.

County Manager David McKee said the county appreciates Cisco’s knowledge and experience in emergency management planning and crisis management.

“The EMA team is vital to our community’s safety and is often unnoticed for the tremendous work they do in emergency preparedness and operation, which is ultimately a great testament to ensuring the county is prepared for any event,” McKee said.

Cisco’s appointment followed the departure of former EMA Director Chris Grimes, who left in January.

The county also appointed Jerry Ramos as director of the Code Compliance

Department, which also manages Animal Services, Park Rangers and the Animal Shelter.

Ramos served in security, military service and law enforcement for Forsyth County for 30 years. He previously worked as director of security and loss prevention for Koch Development Corporation.

He is also a certified homeland protection professional, nuclear security officer and Georgia peace officer.

Assistant County Manager Brandon Kenney said Ramos’ background in law enforcement will encourage partnerships with citizens and business owners, and he will provide the county a safe environment.

“I place a high importance on community involvement, public safety and security with the knowledge that these are shared responsibilities and that we cannot tackle them on our own,” Ramos said.

Forsyth County also named Joel Benton as director of the Board of Assessors and chief appraiser in November 2022. Benton’s appointment followed the departure of former Director and Chief Appraiser Mary Kirkpatrick.

— Shelby Israel

Carl Appen introduced Staff Reporters Alex Popp, Delaney Tarr, Shelby Israel and Amber Perry, as well as Designers Dionna Williams and Jacob Tomberlin.

Reporters walked the audience through stories they’re working on and explained how the newsroom goes about selecting assignments.

At the end of the hour-long event, producers opened the floor for questions from attendees.

The newsroom’s next event is scheduled for late March. Details and registration will be available at appenmedia.com/events.