Georgia’s Former Trade Director Tapped as Chief of Protocol 

Georgia Department of Economic Development has tapped the former head of its trade division as its chief of protocol, a role tasked with tending to the state’s vital international relationships. 

Mary Waters, who will add the protocol title to her main job as chief administrative officer, is acquainted with the state’s international partners, as well as its intense focus on global markets for growth. 

The former deputy commissioner for international trade often worked with the consular corps, a cadre of 70-plus consuls general, honorary consuls and trade representatives, in her work promoting Georgia exports.

The corps had an eventful year, with the departure of a few long-serving diplomats, new faces in key countries like South Korea and Japan, and a few new countries added to the overall list. See Global Atlanta’s Diplomatic Digest wrapup here

“I am humbled to step into the role of chief of protocol. My first privilege in this role is to take a moment and thank each member of our Consular Corps and their staff for their work to strengthen ties between Georgia and the world,”Ms. Waters told Global Atlanta in an emailed statement. 

Ms. Waters has also played up the state’s own reps in 12 key global markets, which sometimes play a role in coordinating visits by state leaders to their countries.

Ms. Waters takes the baton from Nico Wijnberg, who was dedicated full-time to the protocol role. The position is tasked with ensuring both attentiveness and decorum in Georgia’s interactions with foreign dignitaries, both during outbound trips and while hosting inbound visits. 

“Georgia’s success over the past several years in trade, investment, cultural exchange, education, and diplomacy, is based on strong and consistent global partnerships, and rooted in mutual trust and shared opportunity. I look forward to working closely with our international partners to deepen these relationships,” Ms. Waters said. 

The appointment comes as the state prepares to host an influx of a projected 200,000 visitors, many of them from abroad, for the FIFA World Cup and its eight matches in Atlanta this summer. 

“This summer, Georgia will host just as many people, if not more, than we did in the 1996 Olympics, and like any good Southerner, we will work to put our best foot forward for our guests,” Gov. Brian Kemp said as he announced a $50 million grant program to tackle homelessness across the state at the Georgia Chamber of Commerce’s Eggs and Issues breakfast Wednesday.

The state recently issued a travel guide partly aimed at World Cup visitors, months after Mr. Kemp announced a third straight record tourism year for the state, which hosted 174.2 million domestic visitors spending more than $45 billion in 2024. 

In addition to that haul, Georgia attracted 1.3 million tourists from abroad, a 10 percent increase despite a drop in traffic from Canada, the state’s top market. International guests accounted for $3.1 billion in tourism spending in 2024. 

Countries with diplomats in Atlanta, especially whose soccer teams will be taking the pitch here, have started lodging requests for deeper engagement with the City of Atlanta and state in the run-up to the matches, according to requests for meetings viewed by Global Atlanta. For many, the idea is to use a once-in-a-lifetime spotlight to drive deeper economic engagement. 

That would fit well with Ms. Waters’ history at the department. She led an award-winning trade team and spent two years as president of the State International Development Organizations Inc., or SIDO, the top agency supporting state international trade agencies. 

Ms. Waters holds a master of arts in Latin American Studies from the University of Florida and a dual bachelor’s degree in Spanish and International Studies from Willamette University in Salem, Oregon. Her language skills include Spanish and Portuguese.