New Warden Named at Lee Arrendale State Prison

Commissioner : Brian Owens

Director of Public Affairs : Joan Heath

Kathleen Kennedy Reassigned

FORSYTH - Georgia Department of Corrections Commissioner Brian Owens announced the reassignment of Kathleen Kennedy as Warden of Lee Arrendale State Prison effective August 1, 2014. The facility is located in Alto, Georgia. Formally Warden of Coastal State Prison, Kennedy will now be responsible for overseeing 378 staff members and 1,596 special mission female inmates at Lee Arrendale State Prison.

“Kathleen’s many years of experience in her field have served the Department immensely,” said Commissioner Brian Owens. “She is truly an asset to the Department and we look forward to her continued leadership at Lee Arrendale State Prison.”

Kennedy began her career with the Department in 1993 as a Correctional Officer at Phillips State Prison.  In 1995, Kennedy was promoted to Sergeant at Phillips SP and in 1999, she was promoted to Lieutenant at Phillips SP. In 2000, Kennedy was promoted to Unit Manager and in 2004, she was promoted to Deputy Warden of Security at Phillips SP. In 2005, Kennedy was reassigned to Deputy Warden of Security at Lee Arrendale State Prison. In 2012, Kennedy was promoted to Warden of Coastal State Prison, where she most recently served.

Kennedy earned an Associate of Arts degree in General Studies from Springfield Technical Community College. While serving in the U.S. Air Force she obtained an Associate of Sciences degree in Interpretation and Translation. Kennedy also earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Mercer University and a Master of Public Administration degree from Columbia State University. During her time with the Department, Kennedy has successfully completed an array of departmental training to include: Basic Correctional Officer Training, Basic Management Training, Correctional Leadership Institute, Hostage Negotiations, Pre-Command, Command College, Crisis Intervention, Bandit, and Georgia Leadership Institute.

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.