New Director of the Office of Professional Development

Commissioner: Tyrone Oliver

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Adam Baswell Promoted

FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Tyrone Oliver announced the promotion of Adam Baswell to Director of the Office of Professional Development (OPD) effective March 1, 2023, upon the retirement of current Director Terry Edge. 

As Director, Baswell will be responsible for overseeing the OPD, which provides basic and specialized training for the agency’s security and non-security staff through GDC’s Corrections Academy, Leadership Development Unit, Special Operations Training Unit and the Field Training Unit. In addition, the OPD manages the Care and Custody unit, and oversees campus operations for GDC Headquarters in Forsyth, Georgia.  

"Adam has served the agency and our staff with his training expertise for more than 25 years,” said Commissioner Oliver. “His level of knowledge in this important area of GDC is essential in helping us continue to maintain and increase the caliber of our staff at every level.”

Baswell began his career with the GDC in 1997 as a Correctional Officer at Augusta State Medical Prison. He quickly rose to the rank of Institutional Training Lieutenant. He was promoted to Probation Trainer, followed by Executive Assistant to the Commissioner under two administrations, Academy Director, and Director of Training.  He then transferred to the Office of Professional Standards as Director of the Criminal Intelligence Division. He has been assigned as a GBI Gang Task Force Member and is currently managing the Training Unit within the Office of Investigations and Compliance.

Baswell holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from Georgia Military College, a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Thomas University and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University/Georgia Law Enforcement Command College. He is a graduate of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) Academy.

His departmental training includes the following: Basic Correctional Officer Training, Basic Probation Officer Training, Correctional Leadership Institute, Executive Leadership Development Program, Professional Management Program, POST Instructor Training and Basic Management Training.

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.