The nature of staff development in education and the role that the Association of Teacher Educators (ATE) and its Georgia affiliate might play in promoting staff development efforts are discussed. The identification of individual and system needs, the coordination of these needs, and the evolution of programs meeting these needs are seen as the center of any staff development process. ATE is recognized as a major participant in state staff development efforts by virtue of its membership, organizational structure, and concern for education. Elements of professional development which the Georgia ATE (GATE) serves include: communications; an organizational structure reflecting Georgian needs; and a flexibility in marshalling state resources. A participatory role in the development of teacher centers in Georgia is posited for GATE, as well as a role in the direct provision of inservice aid. A process for developing both participatory and GATE-directed programs is discussed. Benefits derived by GATE from staff development efforts are seen as being: increased membership; increased awareness of state problems and concerns; increased recognition of the talents and strengths of professional educators; and increased fiscal support for education. (MJB)