Steve Hayes joined the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles in 2010 as the Director of Public Affairs. Prior to joining the Parole Board, he served as Public Affairs Director for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice since 2006. Hayes has broad criminal justice experience to include working for the state's correctional departments in Tennessee and Alabama. In Alabama, he crafted and guided to passage the legislation increasing the penalty for Custodial Sexual Misconduct from a misdemeanor to a Class C felony. Hayes served as spokesperson and Public Information Officer for the Tennessee Department of Corrections starting in 2000. Prior to state government service, Director Hayes was a news reporter/journalist in Tennessee. At the Tennessee Radio Network, he was a member of the press corps covering the state’s legislative activities and Governor’s Office.

Steve Hayes has a bachelor’s degree in Mass Communications from Murray State University. He is a graduate of the Georgia Department of Corrections Leadership Institute. He is a member of the Georgia Professional Association of Community Supervision.