Ohio prisons director leaves agency for job in governor’s office

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Director Annette Chambers-Smith announced to the department today that she will be leaving the agency. ODRC PHOTO

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Director Annette Chambers-Smith announced to the department today that she will be leaving the agency. ODRC PHOTO

Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Director Annette Chambers-Smith announced to her department today that she will be leaving the agency.

Chambers-Smith is leaving ODRC at the end of March to assist the governor’s office with criminal justice initiatives, according to Dan Tierney, spokesman for Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine.

Chambers-Smith served in ODRC for over two decades, according to her bio on the agency website. It says she also worked as general manager of payment services for JPay Incorporated, a Florida-based company that provides communication services to corrections agencies.

ODRC Assistant Director Ed Banks was named interim director, Tierney said.

Banks has worked at ODRC since 1994, starting as a corrections officer and working up through the ranks to become assistant director in 2022, according to his agency bio.