He served sixteen years in Tennessee and rose through the ranks to Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Children Services and the Department of Youth Development. He was appointed as the first Commissioner for the newly created Kansas Juvenile Justice Authority in 1996. In 2003, he served as Deputy Commissioner of Programs for the Alabama Department of Corrections. He was sworn in as the Commissioner for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice in January of 2004 and served in that capacity until his Parole Board appointment in May of 2010. He remains the longest serving Juvenile Justice Commissioner in Georgia history. Recipient of the American Correctional Association's E.R. Cass Award.

Married to Connie Murray. Two children: Andrea; Camille