Gov. Bill Lee names assistant commissioner as interim leader of Tennessee Department of Correction

Yue Stella Yu, Nashville Tennessean
·1 min read
Guards walk outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tenn., before the execution of death row inmate Nicholas Sutton Thursday Feb. 20, 2020.
Guards walk outside Riverbend Maximum Security Institution in Nashville, Tenn., before the execution of death row inmate Nicholas Sutton Thursday Feb. 20, 2020.

Lisa Helton, assistant commissioner at the Tennessee Department of Correction, will serve as the interim head of the department following a Gov. Bill Lee appointment.

Helton will take the position of current commissioner Tony Parker, who announced his retirement in July. She will lead the department beginning Dec. 1 until a permanent commissioner is appointed. Parker's last day is Tuesday.

“Lisa is a committed public servant, and I am confident she will lead with integrity during this time of transition,” Lee said in a Monday statement. “I appreciate her continued service to Tennessee.”

Retirement: Tony Parker, commissioner of Tennessee Department of Correction, announces retirement

With 25 years of experience in criminal justice, Helton oversees the community supervision division of the Department of Correction, according to a news release. She joined the department in July 2012 as an assistant state director of field services, according to her LinkedIn page. Prior to that, she played the same role at the Tennessee Board of Probation and Parole between 2008 and 2011.

She holds a bachelor's degree from Trevecca Nazarene University and a master’s from Vanderbilt University.

Reach Yue Stella Yu at yyu@tennessean.com. Follow her on Twitter at @bystellayu_tnsn.

Want to read more stories like this? A subscription to one of our Tennessee publications gets you unlimited access to all the latest politics news, podcasts like Grand Divisions, plus newsletters, a personalized mobile experience and the ability to tap into stories, photos and videos from throughout the USA TODAY Network's daily sites.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee names Lisa Helton as interim leader of TDOC