Michael Polak

Professor of the Practice

Member Of:
  • School of Public Policy
Office Phone:912-433-4713

Overview

Former Senator Mike Polak was elected to five terms to the Georgia House of Representatives and the Georgia State Senate.  

His political career began in the House of Representatives in 1993 for DeKalb County.  In 1998, he was elected to the Senate.   He is currently the founder and President of Inovar Health.  Mike has also been a lecturer in the Georgia Tech School of Public Policy since 2013. 

As a Senator, Mike chaired the Science and Technology Committee and the Appropriations Committee for Science and Technology. His most notable legislative achievement was authoring and passing Georgia’s Hope Scholarship.  Mike was the recipient of nineteen Legislator awards and has a bridge named in his honor in Atlanta by the State of Georgia. 

At Tech, he served on the advisory boards for GTRI, the College of Engineering, the Economic Development Institute and as Vice Chairman for Georgia Tech Savannah.   He has a bachelor's degree in Industrial Engineering from Tech and a master’s degree from Georgia State. He is the recipient of the Georgia Tech Outstanding Young Alumnus Award from the School of Engineering.  

Education:
  • BS Industrial Engineering, Georgia Tech
  • MS Marketing, Georgia State University

Courses

  • POL-1101: Government of the U.S.
  • POL-2101: State & Local Government