SORACCO

Who Am I

Originally from south Atlanta, I spent weekends and summers here at Lake Lanier since 1968. Following graduation from North Georgia College in Dahlonega, I served 27 years as an Army Officer. Assignments as a Field Artillery officer included Fort Hood Texas, Camp Essayons, South Korea, and Fort Benning, Georgia, where I deployed to Desert Shield/Desert Storm. Following the war I joined the Army Individual Ready Reserve. I joined Shearson Lehman as a Series 7 Registered Representative/Financial Consultant in Buckhead Atlanta. The Army recalled me to active duty three years later and I spent the next six years in Key West, Florida, coordinating joint multi-national drug interdiction operations.

Having developed my planning, coordinating and collaborating skills in multinational operations, I received assignment to the European Command in Germany to develop counter-terrorism operations. Over the next five years, assignments included Command Post Team Chief, Strategic Communication Deputy and Commandant. These years on senior staff culminated in my last combat deployment to Iraq where I served as a military advisor to the Iraqi Minister of Defense. I retired honorably from the Army in 2012.

After retiring from the Army, I joined FEMA as an Operations Chief, responding to disasters across the country. My experience in emergency management has given me a deep appreciation for the resilience of our communities and the importance of preparedness. I am committed to bringing this experience to the Georgia House to help strengthen our state’s ability to respond to challenges and support those in need.

Supporting Veterans and our issues was forefront in Key West, Florida as I was involved in the Key West American Legion Post 28 as Treasurer, Adjutant, and Commander. Today I continue that service to support Veterans.

I joined the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 2014. As an Operations Chief, I spent the next eleven years on 24/7 recall for deployment across the nation to presidentially declared disasters. Here I put my military planning staff training to good use. Arriving on scene at the invitation of a governor, we worked with the state emergency management agency to develop solutions to meet the disaster challenges that had overwhelmed the state’s capabilities. This involved coordination with multiple federal, state, county and local agencies. Following fifty-five disasters from Hawaii to Georgia, I retired from FEMA in 2025.

I currently live in Hall County, caring for my elderly mother, and helping prepare my high school senior navigate college planning. These personal responsibilities give me firsthand experience with the challenges in our healthcare and education systems. I see how hard families work to manage medical care, insurance, and school pressures, and I understand the strain it can place on households and communities.