Commissioner: Timothy C. Ward

Director of Public Affairs: Joan Heath

Alan Watson Promoted

FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Timothy C. Ward announced the appointment of Alan Watson to assistant commissioner of the Administration and Finance Division effective January 1, 2019, following the retirement of his predecessor, Scott Poitevint. As assistant commissioner, Watson will be responsible for overseeing all functions under the administration unit to include human resources, grants management, fleet management and the call center. Additionally, he will supervise all functions under the finance unit to include budget services, business management, business processes, financial services, fiscal audits and purchasing for the agency.

“Watson has proven to be an invaluable resource with the department,” Ward said. “We are confident he will exceed expectations in his new role.”

Watson began his career with the state in 1999, as a budget analyst with the Legislative Budget Office. In 2001, he accepted the position of budget officer with the Department of Motor Vehicle Safety and served in this capacity until 2005, when he accepted the position of director of customer service licensing and records division with the Department of Driver Services. In 2013, Watson was named accounting director for the Department of Driver Services, where he served until he accepted the position of budget director with the Georgia Department of Corrections in 2015. Watson was named deputy director for administration and finance in July of 2015, where he currently serves. 

Watson holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Georgia and a Master of Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. While working with the state, he received certificates in Governmental Accounting, Management Development, and Leadership Development from the Carl Vinson Institute of Government.

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.