2013 Volunteer of the Year Named

Commissioner : Brian Owens

Director of Public Affairs : Joan Heath

Rev. Russell Gray Named

FORSYTH - The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) named Rev. Russell Gray of Gwinnett Judicial Circuit as Volunteer of the Year at the Tenth Annual GDC Awards ceremony on Tuesday, June 24, 2014 at State Offices South at Tift College in Forsyth, Georgia.

The Department's mission of protecting and serving the public could not be accomplished without the assistance of our community partners. Rev. Gray was nominated by GDC staff, who wished to honor him for his contributions.

"The Department could not be successful without people who are willing to volunteer their time to help us fulfill our mission," said Commissioner Brian Owens. "Rev. Gray's work is invaluable to our agency."

Additional recipients of the Volunteer of the Year award include: Mike Hale of Augusta State Medical Prison; Burning Bush Ministries of Johnson State Prison; Dottie Benson of Lee Arrendale State Prison; Cynseria Jenkins of Lee Arrendale State Prison; Malachi Dads of Telfair State Prison; Gene Deloach of Valdosta Transitional Center and Pat Quinn of Whitworth Women's Facility.

Several key officials were on hand for the ceremony, which was attended by more than 200 guests. Making the award presentation with the Commissioner were Assistant Commissioner Timothy C. Ward, Board of Corrections Vice Chair Rose Williams, and special guest speakers Mercer University Athletic Director Jim Cole and Mercer University Men's Basketball Head Coach Bob Hoffman.

The GDC has one of the largest prison systems in the U.S. and is responsible for supervising nearly 55,000 state prisoners and more than 160,000 probationers. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 12,000 employees.

For more information on the GDC call 478-992-5247 or visit https://gdc.georgia.gov.