Dustin Dowdy, the deputy city manager for the City of Bainbridge, is resigning in order to change careers, he said Monday.

Dowdy, 27, said he plans to go to work for his father Kevin Dowdy’s company, Flint Media Inc., which owns Live 101.9 FM in Bainbridge, as well as three other radio stations located in Blakely and Donalsonville.

“There’s a lot of growth opportunities ahead for Flint Media and I wanted to get on board and be a part of that,” said Dowdy, whose last day with the city of Bainbridge is July 27.

Dowdy has worked with the city for about four years. While finishing his undergraduate studies at Florida State University, he interned with the city from September to December of 2008. After graduating, he was hired full-time for the position of city planner/zoning administrator. He was later promoted to assistant to the city manager. Upon completing his master’s degree from FSU in 2011, he was promoted to deputy city manager.

City Manager Chris Hobby said he regretted Dowdy’s departure from the city but added he was happy that Dowdy was re-joining his family business.

“Dustin has been an invaluable member of the city’s management team during his tenure with the city, and a true friend to me personally,” Hobby said.

The city manager said Dowdy, who for the past 18 months had been in charge of overseeing special projects, had “shown great skill” in several city projects, including the Lake Douglas sewer infrastructure project, the renovation of the College Street playground and the remodeling of the former Marvin Griffin National Guard Armory to serve as the new headquarters for Bainbridge Public Safety.

“Each of these were challenging and complex projects that Dustin managed with skill and patience,” Hobby said. “I am certain that Dustin is following his heart and you can never fault someone for that. I join the entire city family in wishing him much success in his new venture.”

Dowdy has prior experience in telecommunications. While at FSU from 2005 to 2009, he worked part-time at WBGE, Flint Media’s flagship station in Bainbridge, learning advertisement sales and production.

“I learned pretty much every detail about operating the station,” Dowdy said. “I’m sure I’ll need a little ‘refresher course,’ but it will be a fairly easy transition [back to radio].”

As a teenager, Dowdy was also involved in his family’s previous business, Phones Etc., which had multiple wireless sales stores in Southwest Georgia.

Dustin’s parents are Kevin and Janet Dowdy. He is married to the former Ali Rodriguez, who is an administrative assistant with the Bainbridge-Decatur County Chamber of Commerce.