On Sept. 17, Tech Student Government Association’s (SGA) External Affairs committee hosted state Rep. Matt Dubnik, MIS ‘03, as the first installment in their speakers series. Students learned about Dubnik’s career path, from his Tech graduation to public office, in a conversation with VP of External Affairs Sid Prasanna, fourth-year CMPE student, and through audience follow-up questions.
Dubnik represents Georgia’s 29th House district, and he currently serves as Chairman of the K-12 Education Committee, which maintains 38% of Georgia’s $37.7 billion FY26 budget. Outside of the Capitol, Dubnik is the Chief Engagement Officer for Forum Communications, a marketing agency for small businesses.
“We started [the series] with Rep. Dubnik because he is a Tech alum, and he has a nonlinear story of how he got to where he is today … and a desire to help Tech grow,” Prasanna said.
Working in the technology sector immediately after college, Dubnik made it clear that students aspiring to take office do not have to specialize in public policy — they just need a passion to serve their community.
“I graduated with a business degree and an ISyE minor, and I thought I would work in [information security] for the rest of my life. Then 9-11 happened. That was a big challenge for the information security sector, and … I felt like I was always on call. Then, I took a hard right turn into nonprofit fundraising,” Dubnik said.
He became a regional director of Ducks Unlimited, a wetlands conservation-focused nonprofit, and he served on the boards of other local nonprofits like Junior Achievement and the Gainesville Jaycees. It was this community that encouraged him to run for public office in 2016.
The Georgia State Assembly is in session for only 40 days of the year, usually from January to April, and representatives receive a pre-tax salary of $24,341.64. Dubnik noted that while it may sound like a part-time job, representatives work throughout the year to serve their constituents.
During the interim period between legislative elections, Dubnik participates in multiple study committees. These temporary coalitions of legislators who specialize in a particular subject area travel around the country to meet stakeholders and develop the groundwork for the next session’s landmark legislation.
“I’m leaving here for a dinner to discuss tax policy on alcohol. Tomorrow morning, I’ll drive to Macon to speak to the Georgia School Nutrition Association’s Annual State Convention. Next week, I have a meeting at the Capitol on chronic absenteeism in the K-12 environment,” Dubnik said.
The results of these committees often give rise to bipartisan When asked about recent legislation that he has worked to pass, he shared a victory for K-12 students on reduced lunch plans.
“Kids who [paid a reduced rate for lunch] were at the most risk,” Dubnik said. “Nutritionists from around the state had an impromptu meeting with me and said, ‘We have reduced-rate kids who aren’t paying. They come from a household that earns too much money to qualify for free lunch, and they can’t even pay the reduced rate.’ For $6 million, [we bought] 15 million meals for children on reduced lunch and gave them free meals.”
Dubnik concluded by urging students to call him if they had any ideas on how to solve modern problems in higher education. Prasanna says that establishing this communication avenue between government officials and their student constituents motivated him to develop the SGA Speakers Series.
“It’s really about not only showing the great work that our local representatives do, but also the open-door policy that they have … and showing that whatever your major is, if you care enough, these people are waiting to hear from you,” Prasanna said.
While Prasanna has not yet announced the next speaker, he plans to invite local leaders for future installments this semester. The external affairs committee will also host and moderate the annual RSO debate this Tuesday, Sept. 30, in the Atlantic Theatre, where a range of political student organizations will discuss key political topics.