Camila Knowles was appointed as commissioner of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) by Governor Nathan Deal in 2015.
Knowles leads DCA’s work for community development, ensuring that through workforce housing, community infrastructure, downtown development and economic development financing, communities are prepared for opportunities to meet Governor Deal’s top priority: creating jobs across the state. DCA provides funding and technical assistance throughout Georgia, partnering with local communities to create a climate of success for Georgia’s families and businesses. DCA manages millions of state and federal dollars through its 65 programs, 24 of them funding programs.
Commissioner Knowles joined DCA after serving as Chief of Staff for U.S. Senator Saxby Chambliss of Georgia. She began her career with Senator Chambliss in 2003 as one of the Senator’s designees on the Senate Judiciary Committee focusing on immigration law and policy. After serving as a legislative assistant and chief counsel for the Senator in Washington, she moved in 2009 to his Atlanta office as State Director and was named Chief of Staff in 2013.
While on Senator Chambliss’ staff, Knowles worked on legislation directly impacting communities across Georgia, including the designation of Arabia Mountain as a National Heritage Area, the amendment of the Coastal Barrier Resources Act, and the deepening of the Savannah Harbor. She also worked on appropriations bills providing federal funding to numerous Georgia projects.
Prior to her work with Senator Chambliss, Knowles served as a legislative aide to U.S. Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas. She holds an A.B. in History from Harvard, from which she graduated with cum laude distinction, and a law degree from Georgetown University. She is a member of the State Bar of North Carolina.
Knowles is a member of the 2014 class of Leadership Georgia and an alumni interviewer for Harvard. She resides in Atlanta with her husband Sean and their three children. Commissioner Knowles is an active member of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, where she and her husband teach kindergarten Sunday School.
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