Decatur, Georgia – Garland R. Hunt was unanimously appointed as Commissioner of the Department of Juvenile Justice by the department’s board at a special called meeting today.



Hunt was recommended as Commissioner by Governor Sonny Perdue on May 11, 2010. Hunt comes to DJJ from the Board of Pardons and Paroles, where he was appointed in 2004. He served on the Parole Board for six years including a term as Vice-Chairman and as Chairman from 2006 to 2008. Hunt has also served as staff attorney for the United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit, and as General Counsel and Executive Vice-President for The Fellowship of International Churches. He is Vice-President of Wellington Boone Ministries and co-pastor of The Father’s House in Norcross.



Jim Lientz, Georgia’s Chief Operating Officer, introduced Mr. Hunt to the board members this morning and described Hunt as having, “a great background, he has a good heart and he is a great leader.” Lientz says Governor Sonny Perdue called Hunt, “an ideal person to become Commissioner of the Department of Juvenile Justice.”



Hunt thanked the Board of Juvenile Justice members for their vote today. “I am honored and ready to lead this department and I look forward to this challenge ahead. I have had many opportunities in my professional and life experiences to work with our youth and give them more successful opportunities. I am excited for this opportunity to continue that work with the youth we serve in this agency.”



Hunt replaces Albert Murray as Commissioner of the department. Murray served as Commissioner for six years and was appointed to the Board of Pardons and Paroles by Governor Perdue at the same time Hunt was recommended as Commissioner.





Complete Bio of Garland R. Hunt, Esq.

Garland R. Hunt, Esq. of Alpharetta is Commissioner of the Department of Juvenile Justice. Prior to his appointment he served as a member of the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles from 2004 to 2010. A month into his term he was elected Vice-Chairman of the Parole Board. He served as Board Chairman from 2006 to 2008.



After attending undergraduate and law school at Howard University in Washington, D.C., Mr. Hunt served as staff attorney for the U.S. Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit. Mr. Hunt has been a member of the Georgia Bar Association, and he is licensed to practice law in state and federal courts. Prior to becoming a member of the Parole Board, Mr. Hunt owned a consulting company, Hunt Consulting, and served as General Counsel and Executive Vice-President for the Fellowship of International Churches (FOIC) in Atlanta.



Mr. Hunt was President of the 2004 Class of the Coverdell Leadership Institute, a 2006 graduate of Leadership Georgia, and named to Who’s Who in Black Atlanta. He was appointed in 2004 as a member of the Governor’s Commission on Family Violence.



Mr. Hunt is currently the Vice-President of the Association of Paroling Authorities International and previously served as the Chairman of the Constitution and By-Laws Committee. Mr. Hunt is also Vice-President of Wellington Boone Ministries in Atlanta. Wellington Boone Ministries is an umbrella organization of several community-based initiatives including outreach for college and high school students and athletes.



He has been a guest speaker for various organizations and he was presented the key to the city of Dalton, Georgia in 2008. In 2008, he received the President’s Award from the Association of Paroling Authorities International. In 2009, he received the Ben Baer Award for outstanding work nationally in the field of parole.



An ordained minister, Mr. Hunt is the co-pastor of The Father’s House in Norcross, Georgia. He has been married 25 years to Eileen and has three children, Garland Jr., Christa and Jeremy.