Impact Georgia, 2011 May

May 2011 Newsletter

GDC Headquarters Relocation Awards Ceremony

On April 28th, Commissioner Brian Owens, Assistant Commissioner Fred Head, Former City of Forsyth Mayor Jimmy Pace, and Directors Tom Sittnick, Jerry Watson and Larry Latimer honored DOC employees who played a key role in the GDC Headquarters move to Forsyth, Georgia.
Commissioner Owens opened the ceremony by affirming his appreciation to all that made the relocation possible.
Former City of Forsyth Mayor Jimmy Pace addressed the honorees and remarked on how beneficial it is to the city to have the Department of Corrections located at Tift College.
Director Larry Latimer began the presentation of awards when

he asked Director Tom Sittnick to take the stage.
Along with Commissioner Owens and Assistant Commissioner Head, Director Sittnick recognized the following employees of the HQ Relocation Team:
Joan Heath, Allison Brown, Tammy Sexton, Mark Waldron, Don Frisbee, Lisa Haughey, Jeff Baldwin, Teri Stripling, Brad Patterson, Dan Sumner, Yolanda Johnson, Don Williams, Sharon Shaver, Lt. Jinkin Hopkins, Sgt. Christina Pittman, Charles "Chuck" Lee, Warden Eric Sellers and Superintendent Terry Seltzer.
Director Jerry Watson took the stage with the Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner to

recognize the following GCI employees:
Larry DeFloria, Pam Johnson, Bobby Joe Guess, Rick Fountain, Kevin Hudson, Billy Thigpen, Charles Mack, Robert Stewart, Dawn Tyson, Larry Upshaw, Cheyenne Singletary, Scott Singletary, Clint Walker, Neal Martin, Marcus May, and Jack Upshaw.
To end the presenation of awards, Director Larry Latimer took the stage alongside the Commissioner and Assistant Commissioner to recognize the following ECS employees:
Bill Cohen, Edward Adams, Jim Pittman, Preston Mixon, Dean Joyce, Sgt. Kevin Howard, Leroy Yancey, Tom Murray,

Taft Mullis, Kim Renfroe, Marty Hulgan, Dennis Stroup, Wendell Willis, Reggie Daniels, Wendall Lann, Ray Spivey, Jim Bishop, Glen Holton, Wayne Skinner, Billy Dixon, Randall Scarboro, Bill Robinson, Clayton Mullis, Danny Brown, Mike Dyer, Clint Martin, Gary Bean, Greg Mullis, Jack Taylor and Horace Brookins.
Assistant Commissioner Fred Head closed the ceremony with resonating words, "It's all about, you, the people. Thank you all for your hard work."
All recipients received a Commissioners Coin for their dedication and hard work on the GDC headquarters relocation.

In this Issue:
GDC Headquarters Relocation Awards Ceremony
GDC employees raise money for the Special Olympics
Quarterly Awards Ceremony winners
Governor's Commendations for Excellence in Customer Service
Augusta State Medical Prison participate in Plane Pull
Announcements
Don't Forget the 2nd Annual Commissioner Challenge on May 20th at GDCP Firearms Training Complex

Director Sittnick, Assistant Commissioner Head and Commissioner Owens with HQ Relocation Team recipients

Assistant Commissioner Head, Director Watson Assistant Commissioner Head, Director Latimer

and Commissioner Owens with GCI Staff

and Commissioner Owens with ECS Staff

recipients

recipients

GDC Employees Raise Money for the Special Olympics

Throughout the year, employees of the Department of Corrections have volunteered to help raise money for the Special Olympics.
On April 9th, the Jackson Probation office and Wilcox State Prison both held events to help benefit this special cause.
Jackson Probation Office held a

car wash at Advanced Auto Parts in Forsyth, Georgia.
Probation Officers' Ryan Bell, Danny Barron, Karen Hood, Susan Phillips, Dwayne Williams and Jan Sanvidge raised $500!
Since the beginning of this year through Jackson's various fundraisers, they have raised a total of

$1,175 for the Special Olympics.
Wilcox State Prison sponsored a single elimination basketball tournament at the Wilcox County High School gym.

Macon State Prison and the Wheeler Correctional Facility.
Participants of the tournament helped raise $800 for the Special Olympics.

Participants of this event included the victorious Dodge State Prison, Wilcox State Prison, Hancock State Prison,

Events
Monday-Friday, May 2-6 Public Employee Recognition Week (PERW)
Thursday, May 12 Board of Public Safety
Monday, May 16 GDC Roll-Up "Day in Central Office"
Thursday, May 19 BCOT Graduation

Friday, May 20 2nd Annual Commissioner's Challenge

Tuesday, May 24 GDC Annual Awards Ceremony

Left to Right: Jackson POs' Ryan Bell, Danny Barron, Karen Hood, Susan Phillips, Dwayne Williams and Jan Sanvidge

First Place Winners at the Basketball Elimination Tournament - Dodge State Prison

Sponsors of the Basketball Elimination Tournament and Second Place Winners - Wilcox State Prison

Third Place Winners at the Basketball Elimination Tournament - Hancock State Prison

Monday, May 30 Holiday - Memorial Day

Did You Know?..Augusta State Medical Prison pulled a 150,000 pound aircraft 12 feet in 6.4 seconds for charity!

Second Quarterly Awards Ceremony of 2011 at State Ofces South at Tift College

Faithful Service Awards

Warden Humprey, CO of the Quarter Ray, Unsung Heros Weems and Jenkins and Facilities Operations Dir. Ward

On April 19th, the second quarterly awards of 2011 commenced in Roberts Chapel at Tift College.
HR Director Patricia Smith welcomed the recipents and attendees to the ceremony. Ms. Smith, then, recognized newly hired employees and past birthdays including Commissioner Brian Owens!
After the opening address, presentation of awards began.
Congratulations to the following Corrections Division employees:
Richard Ray, GDCP CO of the Quarter
John Nanoff, Paulding

Circuit - PO of the Quarter
Derek Allen, Facilities Operations - Customer Service Champion Award
Jamie Anderson, Probation Operations - Unsung Hero Award
Congratulations to the following OPT Division employees:
Yewanda Kendricks, Communications Center - Customer Service Champion Award
SOSTC - Campus Operations Team empolyees:
Lt. Jinkin Hopkins and Christina Pittman, Amanda

Commissioner Owens, Unsung Hero Juhmi-Green and Assistant Commissioner Head

Payne, and Jeannie Davis - Cus- Executive Operations employees: tomer Service Champion Awards

Tommy Maddox, Fire Services; Teresa Torrence, OHS; Dexter Jenkins and Alfred Weems, GDCP Multi-Functional Office Unsung Hero Awards
Congratulations to the following Administration employees:
Deborah Butts, Fiscal Audits - Customer Service Champion Award
Brenda Bryan, Care & Custody Unsung Hero Award

Wanda Anderson Brown, Personnel - Customer Service Champion Award
Simone Juhmi-Green, Assistant Commissioner's Office - Unsung Hero Award
After the presentation of Customer Service Champion and Unsung Hero Awards, Commissioner Owens and Assistant Commissioner Head honored the GDC's Faithful Service emloyees.

Congratulations to the following

5 YEARS: Bryant Hill Barbara Jo Neville Maribeth Gable Joylyn Holsey Lakendra Jordan Charles Smith Garry Gable
10 YEARS: Ronald Henry Quentin Moore Bonnie Lowman Jesse Turner
15 YEARS: Larry Dale Stephanie Gibson Jason Watson
20 YEARS: Nola Mae Bricker
25 YEARS: Anita Woodard Michael Carlton Dorothy Haller Danny Register
30 YEARS: Dianne Porter

Governor's Commendations for Excellence in Augusta State Medical Prison

Customer Service

participates in Plane Pull

Left to Right: Counselor Hodges, Re-entry Management Specialist B.J. Blair, and Chief Counselor Terri Bussey

On April 28th, three of GDC's exceptional employees were honored at the Governor's Commendation for Excellence in Customer Service Awards Ceremony. Counselor April Hodges of Smith State Prison, Chief Counselor Terri Bussey of ASMP and B.J. Blair of Re-entry Services all received commendations for their exemplary service.
Chief Counselor Bussey was honored for reuniting a father and son while sitting in as the Deputy Warden of Care and Treatment.
Ms. Bussey reunited Mr. Abrams with his father, who is an offender housed at Augusta State Medical Prison.

The father and son have been estranged for over 35 years.
Mr. Abrams spoke with Deputy Warden Scott Wilkes and stated, "Ms. Bussey is amazing. I am thankful she was willing to find a way to reunite a father and son."
Counselor April Hodges was honored for her exceptional professionalism. Due to recent resignations and the inability to hire immediately, Counselor Hodges assumed a leadership role at Smith State Prison.
She has taken on the task of interviewing countless numbers of offenders in an attempt to

provide adequate housing for those who have passed their Tentative Parole Month.
Counselor Hodges is directly responsible for 18 offenders who have passed their TPMs.
The offenders' average release time remaining on their sentences is 31 months. Calculating 31 months at 30 days a month is a total of 16740 days at $40 a day.
Counselor Hodges has saved the agency $669,600!
Re-entry Management Specialist B.J. Blair partnered with several colleagues of DHS-DCSS for the purpose of educating offenders on the importance of establishing paternity and how to be a positive role model in the lives of their children.
Congratulations to Terri, April and B.J!

On April 30th, Augusta State Medical Prison staff participated in the third annual Ronald McDonald House Charities of Augusta 2011 Plane Pull.
The event brings together groups from all industry sectors, such as medical, education, military, firefighters and various other groups in the Augusta area.
Teams of 20 compete to pull a 150,000 pound FedEx 727 Boeing aircraft 12 feet in the shortest amount of time.
This event helped benefit the Ronald McDonald House Chartities and a new home on Green Street, which will begin construction next year.
The new home is tentatively planned to be built near Medical College of Georgia Children's Medical Center and will house up to 20 families.
Staff of Augusta State Medical Prison pulled the aircraft in 6.4 seconds and donated over $1,000 to the Ronald McDonald House Charities.
Ronald McDonald House Charities have helped improve the lives of children and their families for the past 36 years.

Left to Right: Admin. Asst Sharon Davis, Deputy Warden Scott Wilkes, Ronald McDonald and Warden Dennis Brown
Augusta State Medical Prison 2011 Team
ASMP during Plane Pull

Commissioner Brian Owens
Public Affairs: Director, Joan Heath; Manager, Peggy Chapman; Managing Editor, Gwendolyn Hogan; Public Information Specialist, Kristen Stancil; Contributors Nikki Warren, Susan Phillips, Dennis Brown & Cathy Smith Contact: 478-992-5247 * dcor.state.ga.us