New Chief of Staff Named

Commissioner: Timothy C. Ward

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Ricky Myrick Promoted

FORSYTH, Ga. – Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Timothy C. Ward announced the promotion of Ricky Myrick, Assistant Commissioner of Facilities Division, to Chief of Staff effective December 1, 2019. Myrick will be responsible for the management of approximately 10,500 state employees and will oversee the operations of the four main divisions of the GDC: Facilities, Administration & Finance, Health Services, and Inmate Services.

“Ricky has more than 30 years’ experience with GDC, serving in a broad range of roles that will serve him well as he takes on the responsibility of Chief of Staff,” said Commissioner Ward. “I am confident in his knowledge, and in his commitment to the dedicated staff of the GDC.”

Myrick began his career with the Georgia Department of Corrections in 1989 as a Correctional Officer. He rose to the rank of Lieutenant and served as both CERT Commander and Tactical Squad Commander. In 1995, Myrick left the uniformed ranks when he was promoted to Criminal Investigator and assigned to the Governor’s Strike Force on Drugs & Violent Crime. In 1996, he was reassigned to the DEA State & Local Drug Task Force in Atlanta, and was Deputized as a Federal Agent, tasked with making Federal narcotics trafficking cases with a nexus to the Georgia Department of Corrections.

While assigned to the DEA Task Force, Myrick was promoted to Manager of the GDC Special Operations Unit, where he oversaw the daily operations of the Tactical Squads, CERT, Canine Unit, Fugitive Unit, and all Investigators assigned to Task Force Operations. In 2003, Myrick was promoted to Chief Investigator over Fugitive Operations and assigned to the US Marshals Southeast Regional Fugitive Task Force, where he served as Group Supervisor for the Task Force and oversaw approximately fifty law enforcement officers from over twenty law enforcement agencies. In 2010, he was promoted to Director of the Office of Professional Standards, where he oversaw all Criminal, Administrative, and Fugitive Investigations, Departmental Audits, the Intelligence Unit, Canine Unit, PREA Compliance, ACA Compliance, and the Ombudsman’s Office.

In 2016, Myrick was promoted to Assistant Commissioner of Facilities Division where he was responsible for oversight of the 35 State Prisons, four Private Prisons, 23 County Prisons, seven Substance Abuse Centers,15 Transitional Centers, seven Probation Detention Centers, 21 Fire Stations, the Special Operations Unit, Offender Administration, the Inmate Transportation Unit, and the Communications Center.

Myrick is a graduate of the Georgia Law Enforcement Command College. He received a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Thomas University and a Master of Public Administration from Columbus State University.  He is a member of Atlanta Metropol, American Correctional Association, Southern States Correctional Association, Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police, Georgia Internal Affairs Investigators Association, and the Georgia Gang Investigators.

About the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC)

The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 52,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 10,500 employees. For more information on the GDC, call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.