law Enforcement Career

Mike Fordham is the former Chief of Investigations for the Bryan County Sheriff’s Office. As the Chief of Investigations, Mike served as the chief advisor and principle assistant to the Sheriff in all matters relating to criminal investigations in Bryan County. He represented the Sheriff on the Bryan County Opioid Prevention Project, Bryan County Family Connection, and the Atlantic Judicial Circuit Child Advocacy Center. Since 2016 he has also served as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice at Savannah Technical College.

Fordham’s law enforcement career began in 1976 with the East Dublin Police Department as a radio operator and patrolman. In 1979 Fordham began a thirty-four-year career with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation where he advanced through a variety of leadership and varied investigative positions, first as Narcotics Agent (1979 – 1981) assigned to the Local Violator Squad in Atlanta, Ga. After promotion to Special Agent (1981 – 1991) Fordham was assigned to the newly formed Albany Smuggling Squad where he investigated air smuggling throughout southwest Georgia before transferring in 1983 to the Southern Coastal Area Narcotics office in Savannah. During these years Mike also served as an agent on the Bureau’s Special Investigations Unit and the Governor’s Task Force for marijuana eradication. As an Assistant Special Agent in Charge (1991 – 1999), he supervised the Training / Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Unit and later the Macon Regional Drug Enforcement Office. In 1999 Fordham returned to Savannah and Bryan County as the Special Agent in Charge (SAC), Savannah Regional Drug Enforcement Office. As SAC, Colonel Fordham served on the Criminal Justice Curriculum Committee, Savannah State University, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center Curriculum Advisory Committee, and several multi-jurisdictional drug task force advisory boards. On September 1, 2011 SAC Fordham retired after serving in the GBI Director’s Office where he served in a variety of capacities including: 

• Ensuring policy continuity by reviewing special investigations conducted on behalf of the Director

• Assisting the Georgia Board of Public Safety in oversight of GBI requirements by maintaining and producing statistical data

• Serving as the liaison officer to the Georgia Emergency Management Agency, Governor’s Office, Georgia Sheriff’s Association, and the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police

• Reviewed budgets as required by the GBI, Georgia General Assembly, and the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council

• Served as legislative liaison to the Georgia General Assembly

• Instructed and trained state supervisors in the Performance Management Process

military career

Colonel Fordham’s military career also began in 1976 when he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as an Air Support Operations Operator. He received his commission as a second lieutenant from Georgia Military Institute on August 3, 1991. During the course of his military career Mike has served in a wide variety of leadership positions including military police platoon leader, company executive officer, infantry company commander, brigade plans and operations officer, Theater Support Command plans and operations officer, brigade executive officer, and battalion commander. Colonel Fordham’s most recent military assignments include service as the Bilateral Affairs Officer, Office of Defense Cooperation, Tbilisi, Georgia; Senior Intelligence Officer, Joint Force Headquarters, Georgia National Guard, and Law Enforcement, Border Security, Corrections Coordinator, Institute for Military Support to Governance, U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, NC.

Colonel Fordham was mobilized for a six-month deployment to Bosnia & Herzegovina in 2001 where he served as a Rifle Company Commander. He served on a year-long deployment to Iraq in 2005 where he served as the Operations Officer in the Mosul Regional Embassy Office and subsequently as the plans officer for base security operations at Baghdad International Airport. In 2008 Mike again deployed with the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team to Afghanistan where he served as the brigade’s executive officer.

Family life

Mike and wife Melissa reside in Richmond Hill where he has lived since returning to Bryan County in 2000. He has a twenty-three-year-old son, William Michael Justice Fordham, who serves in the U.S. Coast Guard. Mike is an active member of Richmond Hill United Methodist Church where he serves on the Administrative Board, as Stephen Leader, and adjunct member of the staff. He is a member of the Richmond Hill Rotary Club, the Georgia Sheriff’s Association, Peace Officers Association of Georgia, FBI National Academy Associates, North Bryan Chamber of Commerce, Laurens Lodge # 75, F. & A.M., and the John Duggar American Legion Post, Pembroke, Ga. Colonel Fordham is a Past President of the National D.A.R.E. Officer’s Association and was recently selected as a member of the Leadership Bryan class of 2020.

Education

1986: Middle Georgia College, Cochran, Ga., associate degree in Criminal Justice

1991: Officer Candidate School, Georgia Military Institute, Macon, Ga.

1992: U.S. Army Military Police Officer Basic Course, U.S. Army Military Police School, Fort McClellan, Al.

1993: Georgia State University, College of Public and Urban Affairs, Atlanta, Ga.,
Bachelor of Science Degree in Criminal Justice

1999: FBI National Academy, Quantico, Va. (198th Session)

2000: U.S. Army Infantry Officer Advanced Course, U.S. Army Infantry School, Fort Benning, Ga.

2004: Georgia Law Enforcement Command College, Columbus, Ga.

2004: Columbus State University, College of the Arts, Columbus, Ga.,
Master of Public Administration

2007: U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, Fort Leavenworth, Ks.

2013: U.S. Army War College, Carlisle, Pa., Master of Strategic Studies

Military Assignments

August 1991 – July 1994, Military Police Platoon Leader, 178th Military Police Company, Monroe, Ga.

August 1994 – July 1998, Executive Officer, Headquarters & Headquarters Company, 48th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Macon, Ga.

August 1998 – November 2001, Rifle Company Commander, Company C, 1-121 Infantry (Mechanized), Gainesville, Ga. and Camp Comanche, Bosnia & Herzegovina

November 2001 – October 2003, Operations and Plans Officer, Headquarters, 48th Infantry Brigade (Mechanized), Macon, Ga.

October 2003 – June 2007, Operations and Plans Officer, 122d Rear Operations Center (Theater Support Command), Savannah, Ga. and Iraq

July 2007 – July 2010, Operations Officer and Executive Officer, 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, Macon, Ga. and Camp Phoenix Afghanistan

July 2010 – October 2011, Battalion Commander, 1st Battalion, 121st Infantry Regiment, Winder, Ga.

November 2011 – October 2012, Bilateral Affairs Officer, Office of Defense Cooperation, U.S. Embassy, Tbilisi, GG

November 2012 – October 2014, Senior Intelligence Officer, Joint Force Headquarters, Georgia National Guard, Marietta, Ga.

October 2014 – October 2015, Coordinator, Institute for Military Support to Governance,

U.S. Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, NC