Tim Fleming of Covington is leaving Gov. Brian Kemp’s administration at the end of the month to enter the private sector.

Fleming, a graduate of George Walton Academy in Monroe, has worked with Kemp since the future governor ran for state Senate in 2002, while Fleming was a University of Georgia student.

In 2010, Fleming managed Kemp’s campaign as he became only the second Republican secretary of state for Georgia.

“Tim has served my administrations for more than a decade,” Kemp said in a statement Thursday. “I am grateful for his service and hard work, and I wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Fleming was the chief of staff and then deputy secretary of state under Kemp, then managed Kemp’s campaign for governor.

After Kemp was elected in November 2018, he selected Fleming to be his chief of staff.

“It has been the honor of a lifetime to serve this great state and champion the agenda of its 83rd governor,” Fleming said in a statement released by the governor’s office.

“I truly appreciate the opportunities that Gov. Kemp and his family have provided me over the years, and I look forward to beginning this new and exciting journey in the private sector.”

A news release from the governor’s office did not identify Fleming’s next position, or even say if he has one.

Fleming was a member of Kemp’s task force on COVID-19. The pandemic became a major issue of the governor’s first term.

Caylee Noggle, the state’s chief management officer, will assume duties as the interim chief of staff to Kemp. She becomes the first woman to serve as chief of staff to a Georgia governor.

Fleming served as a Newton County Commissioner from 2009 to 2013.