Department of Correction
Gayle E. Ray, Commissioner

Gayle Ray was sworn in as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction on January 14, 2010 by Governor Phil Bredesen. Commissioner Ray had served as Deputy Commissioner of the TDOC since June 2004. She has almost forty years of service as a community leader, college teacher, elected official and manager.

She served as Sheriff of Davidson County from 1994 to 2002. In that position, she was responsible for managing one of the state's largest jails. Under her direction, the jail was accredited by the American Correctional Association and was the first jail system in the country to be fully accredited.

Governor Phil Bredesen said, "Gayle's experience and accomplishments make her an ideal person to lead, what is without question, one of the most important departments in state government."

Commissioner Ray holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English from Middle Tennessee State University, a Master of Arts in English from the University of Arkansas and a Master's of Business Administration from Belmont University.

Commissioner Ray is a recipient of the Athena Award, the YWCA Academy for Women of Achievement Award and the Public Relations Society of America's Apollo Award.