EducationUniversity of North Georgia (formerly North Georgia College and State University) — B.B.A.

Notable personal detailsStephen Wade Gooch is a Republican Georgia state senator representing Senate District 51, first elected in 2010 and assuming office in January 2011. He served as Majority Leader of the Georgia State Senate Majority Caucus after being elected to that leadership post in 2022. He is a businessman who owns a private environmental services company and previously served as Lumpkin County’s sole commissioner and as a Georgia Department of Transportation Board member. He has announced a campaign for lieutenant governor in Georgia’s 2026 election.