Ruby J. Joyner, LMSW, CCE

Ruby J. Joyner is the Chief of Corrections at the Nashville Sheriff's Office in Davidson County Tennessee. She oversees five detention facilities housing minimum to maximum security custody levels for men and women and a specialized adult supportive treatment facility – the Behavioral Care Center. With a distinguished 26-year career at the Davidson County Sheriff's Office, Chief Joyner rose from the ground up. She began her journey as a treatment counselor and advanced through pivotal leadership roles—including treatment supervisor, Day Reporting Center director, and jail administrator—before making history as the first African American female sworn into the role of Chief of Corrections.. Throughout her tenure, Chief Joyner has been guided by the belief that people can change - when the right resources are available to them and when they are ready for change. Her structural approach focuses on: comprehensive reentry planning, clinical intervention and holistic support systems: from families to communities. Chief Joyner holds bachelor's degrees in psychology and social work from Trevecca University and a master's degree in social work from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, which she completed with honors. Throughout her career, Chief Joyner has championed an approach to corrections that treats incarcerated individuals as whole people rather than case numbers, coordinating mental health referrals, family engagement, and reentry planning to help the justice involved "leave custody with more tools in their toolbox than they entered with." She has authored multiple published articles on the human side of incarceration — including a widely noted piece in Corrections Today — and holds several advanced credentials, among them the Certified Corrections Executive designation from the American Correctional Association and status as a Licensed Master Social Worker. Her contributions to the field earned her a seat on ACA's Commission on Accreditation for Corrections and its Legislative and Government Affairs Commission. Outside her professional responsibilities, Chief Joyner has dedicated more than two decades to volunteering in a local women's prison and has recently been added to the board of directors for the Tennessee Prison Outreach Ministry. She is active in her church where she serves as secretary. Guided by values of truthfulness, integrity, and treating others with the same respect she hopes to receive, Chief Joyner remains committed to mentoring the next generation of women entering corrections, encouraging them to stay grounded in their authentic selves and to never stop learning. In 2025, she published: "8 Steps to Freedom - Breaking Free from the Inside out." The book delivers practical steps and powerful stories of redemption to help readers break internal chains and reclaim their lives.