New Statewide Mental Health Director

Dr. Chad I. Lohman Appointed

FORSYTH, Ga. – The Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) Commissioner Tyrone Oliver announced the appointment of Chad I. Lohman, Ph.D. to statewide Mental Health Director, effective August 1, 2023.  As the statewide Mental Health Director, Dr. Lohman will be responsible for planning and assisting in the development and implementation of mental health related policies and procedures. In addition, he will assist in planning, organizing, directing and coordinating the delivery of mental health services in GDC facilities. Furthermore, he will oversee the monitoring and evaluation of the GDC’s robust mental health programs.

“With his extensive background in mental health services delivery, specifically within prison environments, Dr. Lohman will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to our comprehensive programs,” said Commissioner Oliver.  “We are fortunate to have someone with his expertise assist in enhancing our mental health services, which reflect community and national standards.”

Dr. Lohman has served in varying clinical psychology positions at the state and federal level, as well as in hospital settings since 1993, including Psychology internships with William S. Sharpe Hospital, Weston, WV and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).  In 1997, he served as Clinical Psychologist with BOP at the United States Penitentiary (USP) in Beaumont, TX, overseeing the institution mental health program, psychiatric clinics, medication monitoring, suicide risk assessments, individual therapy, group therapy, weekly counselor training, crisis intervention, and psychological evaluations. While serving with the BOP, he was appointed as CODE Coordinator (Clinical Psychologist) in 1998, Chief Psychologist in 2001, Regional Psychology Services Administrator in 2006, and Competency Assessment Psychologist in 2013. He served as Senior Psychologist Program Manager/Deputy Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health at Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System in Tuskegee, AL in 2019 where he retired, and has most recently served as Campus Director, Success Coach and Psychology Instructor with Georgia Military College in Zebulon, Georgia.

Dr. Lohman holds a PhD in Clinical-Community Psychology from the University of South Carolina and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Lycoming College in Williamsport, Pennsylvania. He holds a license in Psychology in Texas, is a member of the American Psychological Association and was a Dissertation Committee Member for the Clinical Psychology Graduate Program at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio. 

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 http://www.gdc.ga.gov .