Max Burns and his wife Lora have two sons and three grandchildren. Max holds a Bachelor of Industrial Engineering and a Ph.D. in Business Administration from Georgia State University. The Burns family are active members of Jackson Baptist Church in Sylvania.

Max Burns has worked as a Senior Policy Advisor at Thelen Reid & Priest, LLC, and served on the Board of Directors for the U.S. Fulbright Association and the Southern Association of Colleges & Schools - Commission on Colleges. His academic career includes roles as Professor of Management at Georgia Southern University, President of Gordon State College, and Dean of the Mike Cottrell College of Business at the University of North Georgia. Prior to starting a career as a professor in higher education, Sen. Burns served as a member of the United States Army Reserves.

Max Burns has served as a Georgia State Senator for Senate District 23 since 2020. He previously served in the 108th Congress as a U.S. Representative for Georgia's 12th Congressional District. Additionally, Burns has experience as a local government official, having been the Chairman of the Screven County Commission and serving several terms as a Commissioner between 1985 and 2000.