Spanberger names VADOC director, additional staff appointments in administration
Jan 17, 2026
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 o
f 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
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