Administration and Staff
122 staff members monitor the inmate population. The eighty-two (82) sworn staff members are trained at the Rappahannock Regional Criminal Justice Academy in Fredericksburg. Under the direction of the Superintendent, staff are subdivided into three sections, each headed by a Deputy Superintendent. All Deputy Superintendents report to the Superintendent.
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Colonel Sandra Thacker, CJM
Superintendent
First in Command at the Facility |
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Colonel Sandra Denise Thacker started her career in corrections at the Federal Metropolitan Correctional Center in Chicago, Illinois. She then accepted a position as a Correctional Officer at the Cook County Department of Corrections in Chicago, Illinois. She subsequently worked her way through the ranks as a Shift Commander and Chief of Security with the Pima County Sheriff's Department in Tucson, Arizona; Division Chief of Support Services for the City of Las Vegas, Department of Detention and Correctional Services; Classification Manager at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center in San Antonio, Texas; and, as a Facility Administrator with the Maryland Department of Corrections in Jessup, Maryland. She entered private sector corrections with Wackenhut Corrections Corporation as an Assistant Facility Administrator in San Antonio, Texas and again in Fort Worth, Texas as a Facility Administrator. Returning to serve government, she is currently the Regional Jail Superintendent at Peumansend Creek.
Colonel Thacker received a Master of Science in Administration of Justice with emphasis in Corrections and Counseling from the Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois. Prior to that, she received a Bachelor of Science in Secondary Education with minors in History, Political Science and Sociology from Ashland College in Ashland, Ohio. She is a Certified Jail Manager, having completed the requirements of the American Jail Association's Certified Jail Management Commission. In March 2006, she completed the requirements for certification as a Certified Litigation Specialist - Public Employment Litigation, and in 2007, Certified Litigation Specialist - Corrections Litigation, through the Americans for Effective Law Enforcement (AELE).
Sandra brings nearly 30 years of field experience to operating the regional jail. She has authored six articles regarding aspects of the field and has been recognized by local government and the Governor of the Commonwealth for the quality of work performed at the facility. She has also served as an Associate Professor at the local college and university levels.
The Deputy Superintendent of Security monitors the functions of security in the housing units, perimeter control, transports, intake/release, master control center, roving patrols and staff training.
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Major Ron Elliott
Deputy Superintendent of Security
Second in Command at the Facility |
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Major Ron Elliott has served in the corrections field since 1980. He started with the Richmond City Sheriff's Office as a Classification Counselor and eventually worked his way up to the office of Chief Deputy. He became enamored with the complexities of jail operations and saw opportunities in the field to not only provide for public safety, but to meet individual needs, through management techniques.
After several years with the City of Richmond, he moved on to accept the position of Jail Administrator with the Chesterfield County Sheriff's Office. He later accepted an opportunity to work for the Virginia Department of Corrections, specifically local detention facilities. He served as the Local Facilities Section Supervisor, was Acting Chief of Operations for the Local Facilities Unit, and Local Facilities Manager.
Because of his role with the Virginia Department of Corrections, Ron was instrumental during the start-up of the Peumansend Creek Regional Jail. He was kept apprised of the facility's progress over the years and eagerly accepted the opportunity to serve at a facility he had watched progress from the planning stages.
Major Elliott received a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1978. He completed all course requirements for a Masters Degree in the Administration of Justice/Public Safety at VCU in 1988.
Ron brings over 25 years of progressive management experience in the area of facility operations to the Peumansend Creek Regional Jail.
The Deputy Superintendent of Programs is responsible for Industries operations, the general library, law library, recreation, education classes, life skills classes, drug education classes, classification, inmate work assignments and volunteers.
Major Thelma J. Gardner, CJM
Deputy Superintendent of Programs
Third in Command at the Facility |
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Major Thelma J. Gardner started her career in corrections in 1986 as a Clinical Social Worker with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Institutional Division in Huntsville, Texas. She gained valuable experience through her work with the criminally insane, including Texas Death Row inmates. She later went into private sector corrections when she joined Wackenhut Corrections Corporation in Fort Worth, Texas, as a G.E.D Instructor. Under her instruction, over 216 inmates received their G.E.D. certificates within a 60-day stay at the facility. She progressed in the field, first as Assistant Facility Administrator of Programs, then as Assistant Facility Administrator, second in command at the facility. She returned to government as a Probation Officer with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice - Community Justice Assistance Division in Dallas, Texas. She now serves as the Deputy Superintendent of Programs at Peumansend Creek Regional Jail.
Major Gardner received a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education from Texas College in Tyler, Texas, graduating cum laude. She is a Certified Jail Manager, having completed the requirements of the American Jail Association's Certified Jail Management Commission. She is also listed in the Who's Who in American Colleges and Universities.
Thelma brings over 17 years of progressive experience in the field of corrections, probation, education, and management to Peumansend Creek Regional Jail.
The Deputy Superintendent of Support Services controls facility finances, human resources, inmate commissary, food service, laundry service, and facility maintenance.
Major William T. Ayres, CJM
Deputy Superintendent of Support Services
Fourth in Command at the Facility |
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Major William Ayres started his career in corrections in 1996 when he joined the Peumansend Creek Regional Jail as the Deputy Superintendent of Support Services. He served his country for over twenty years in the United States Navy before he retired as a Commander. During his tenure, he served in various positions to include Supply Officer, USS Brewton FF1086, home ported in Pearl Harbor Hawaii; Budget Execution Officer, Naval Surface Forces Pacific Fleet; Director, Storage Division, Naval Supply Center, Pearl Harbor; Supply Officer, Shore, Intermediate Maintenance Facility, Newport, Rhode Island; and Director, Budget Division, Bureau of Naval Personnel, Washington D.C.
Major Ayres is a 1974 graduate of the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland where he received a Bachelor of Science in Analytical Management. He also holds a Master of Science in Logistics Management, a degree he received from the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California. He is a Certified Jail Manager, having completed the requirements of the American Jail Association's Certified Jail Management Commission.
Bill brings over 26 years of progressive experience in logistics management and finance to the Peumansend Creek Regional Jail.