New Virginia Department of Corrections Director Named

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger has appointed Joseph Walters to serve as Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections.

Walters previously served as Senior Deputy Director for the VADOC, where he led the agency’s administrative and support services. He began his public safety career in 1992 as a local law enforcement officer in Martinsville, Va., and joined the Virginia State Police as a State Trooper in 1993. From there, Walters rose to the rank of Captain and Human Resources Director and served as Special Agent-in-Charge of General Investigations in the Appomattox Field Office, Staff Assistant to the Director of the Bureau of Field Operations, Assistant Director of Information Technology and Planning, and a Legislative Liaison to the Virginia General Assembly.

In 2015, Walters joined the VADOC as Human Resources Director, and in 2018, he was promoted to Deputy Director for Administration. In 2024, he was appointed as the agency’s chief law enforcement officer, where he was responsible for the reorganization of the agency’s Office of Law Enforcement Services and the establishment of a Criminal Intelligence Center. He was named the VADOC’s Senior Deputy Director in 2025.

Walters holds a B.S. in Psychology and Criminal Justice from Averett College, a Master of Public Administration from Virginia Tech, and is currently completing his PhD in Public Administration through Liberty University. He is a graduate of the University of Virginia’s National Criminal Justice Command College, the National Institute of Corrections’ Executive Excellence Program, and Virginia Commonwealth University’s Virginia Executive Institute. He also serves on the Board of Directors for the Crater Criminal Justice Training Academy.

Walters will succeed former VADOC Director Chadwick Dotson, who was appointed to the role by former Gov. Glenn Youngkin in 2023.