New Director of Field Operations Named

Stan Shepard Promoted

FORSYTH, Ga. – Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Tyrone Oliver announced the promotion of Stan Shepard, Southeast Regional Director, to Director of Field Operations effective July 1, 2023, upon the retirement of current Director Robert Toole. Shepard will be responsible for overseeing daily operations of all state facilities.

“Stan has proven himself as a leader and an invaluable asset to GDC in every position he has held, and we are confident he will bring that same level of commitment and dedication as he leads the field operations unit,” said Commissioner Oliver. “We are excited to see him excel in this new role.”

Shepard began his career with GDC in 1994 as a Contract Counselor at Washington State Prison (SP). In 1997, he officially joined the Department as a Counselor at Coastal SP and later that year, returned to Washington State Prison as Senior Counselor. In 1998, Shepard transferred to the Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) as Unit Manager at Wrightsville YDC. In 2000, he served as a Probation Officer with the Dublin Probation Office, and then returned to DJJ as the Assistant Director of Wrightsville YDC. In 2001, he returned to GDC as Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment at Johnson SP. Shepard became the Program Development Consultant with Probation Operations in 2008 and in 2010, he was promoted to Manager of the Sex Offender Unit with Probation Operations. In 2011, he was promoted to Warden at Montgomery SP and in 2013, was promoted to Warden at Augusta State Medical Prison. In 2016, Shepard was promoted to the Assistant Regional Director for the North Region, and in 2018 he was promoted to Southeast Regional Director where he currently serves.

Shepard holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Armstrong Atlantic State University and a master’s degree in public administration from Columbus State University. He has completed the following departmental training: Basic Probation Officer Training (BPOT), Basic Management Training (BMT), Peace Officer’s Standards and Training Instructor Program (POST IT), Warden’s Pre-Command, Corrections Leadership Institute (CLI), and the Warden’s Peer Interaction Program.

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 approximately 47,000 state prisoners. It is the largest law enforcement agency in the state with approximately 9,000 employees. For more information on the GDC, call 478-992-5247 or visit https://www.gdc.ga.gov.