Georgia Department of Corrections
Brian Owens, Commissioner
Director of Public Affairs
Joan Heath
Contact: Office of Public Affairs (478) 992-5248
STATE OF GEORGIA
For Immediate Release
New Superintendent Named at Valdosta Transitional Center - Shirlyn Thomas appointed
Forsyth - Commissioner Brian Owens announced the appointment of Shirlyn Thomas as Superintendent of Valdosta Transitional Center effective May 1, 2012. As Superintendent, Thomas will be responsible for overseeing 25 staff members and 107 minimum security male residents.
“The Department is honored to give Shirlyn this leadership role,” said Commissioner Owens. “I am confident that her wealth of knowledge will be an asset to the center,” added Owens.
Thomas is a 24-year veteran of the Georgia Department of Corrections. She began her career with the Department as a Correctional Officer at Valdosta State Prison in 1988. She was promoted to Counselor in 1995 at Valdosta State Prison. She was transferred to Ware State Prison in 2005, where she served as Chief Counselor. In 2007, Thomas was promoted and mostly recently served as the Deputy Warden of Care & Treatment at Ware State Prison. Thomas received her Associates degree in Criminal Justice from North Florida Junior College and received her Bachelor’s degree from the Southern Christian University. Thomas has received additional training from the Department which includes Basic Correctional Officer Training, Basic Management Class, Warden Pre-Command Training and Executive Leadership Training.
The Department of Corrections is the fourth largest prison system in the United States and is responsible for supervising nearly 60,000 state prisoners and over 150,000 probationers. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 12,000 employees.
###