Spanberger names VADOC director, additional staff appointments in administration

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — The latest round of appointments for Gov.-elect Abigail Spanberger's administration came one day before her inauguration.

The Office of the Governor-elect on Friday, Jan. 16, named additional staff members, including appointees to key roles such as press secretary, chiefs of staff across multiple departments and director of the Virginia Department of Corrections (VADOC).

The announcement came after the department faced multiple controversies under outgoing director Chadwick Dotson.

Dotson was the director for under two and a half years. During his term, the VADOC saw rampant understaffing as well as the killing of Jeremy Hall, the first corrections officer killed on the job in 50 years. 

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Joseph Walters was appointed the new director for the VADOC under the Spanberger administration. Walters currently serves as senior deputy director for VADOC, according to the department's website and his biography for the Virginia Public Safety Foundation.

The full list of additional staff appointments is as follows:

Office of the Governor

• Kate McCarty, chief of staff to the first gentleman
• Jack Bledsoe, press secretary

Commerce and Trade

• Rita McClenny, president and CEO, Virginia Tourism Corporation

Education

• Holly Coy, chief of staff, Virginia Department of Education

Labor

• Laura McClintock, director, Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation

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Natural & Historic Resources

• Maribel Castaneda, deputy secretary
• Michael Rolband, director, Department of Environmental Quality
• Nikki Rovner, director, Department of Conservation & Recreation
• Sarah Spota, deputy director, Department of Conservation & Recreation

Public Safety & Homeland Security

• Cheryl Adkins, deputy state coordinator, Virginia Department of Emergency Management
• Jamey Brads, deputy executive director, Department of Fire Programs
• Ashaki McNeil, director, Department of Criminal Justice Services
• Bob Bermingham, director, Department of Juvenile Justice
• Marilyn Brown, deputy director, Department of Juvenile Justice
• Joseph Walters, director, Department of Corrections
• Linda Jackson, director, Department of Forensic Science
• Amy Jenkins, chief deputy director, Department of Forensic Science

Transportation

• Laura Schewel, deputy secretary
• Carter Hutchinson, deputy secretary
• Michael York, assistant secretary
• Allan Fye, deputy director, Department of Rail and Public Transportation