Harrisburg, PA – Governor Tom Wolf announced his intention to name George Little to serve as Acting Secretary of the Department of Corrections (DOC). Little will replace outgoing Corrections Secretary John Wetzel, who is leaving to enter the private sector.
“George Little has extensive leadership experience in the public sector, with a focus on public safety, including five years in leadership positions at the Department of Corrections,” Gov. Wolf said. “The Department of Corrections continues to evolve and modernize rehabilitation and education efforts to reduce recidivism while implementing appropriate strategies to enhance public safety. George Little understands this deeply and will serve this position well.”
Little currently serves as the Executive Deputy Secretary of Community Corrections and Reentry at the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections since September of 2017, where he is responsible for leading community corrections, parole and probation field supervision services, and parole re-entry operations. Prior to that, he was DOC’s Director of Community Corrections since 2016.
A Pennsylvania native, Little previously served the state of Tennessee in various capacities for 26 years. There he served as Regional Probation Director, Warden and Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction, as well as Director of the Shelby County Tennessee Division of Corrections. Between periods of corrections service, Little served as Chief Administrative Officer for the City of Memphis. While serving there, he was responsible for oversight of the Memphis Police and Fire Departments, the Second Chance program and Workforce Development.
Little also serves on the Board of the National Police Foundation and is an associate member of the Association of State Correction Administrator.
Little has a bachelor of arts degree in economic and business administration from Morehouse College and completed a graduate study in economics, urban/regional development from the University of Texas.
Wetzel has served as Secretary since 2011 — spanning two administrations — and he has three decades of experience in corrections roles.
“Under John Wetzel’s leadership, the Department of Corrections experienced the first reduction in the inmate population in decades – a testament to his commitment to rehabilitation and positive re-entry initiatives,” Gov. Wolf said. “I am grateful for his dedication to public safety and for his service to our commonwealth, and I wish him the very best in his future endeavors.”
Wetzel will depart on October 1 and Little will assume the role as Acting Secretary on October 2.
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John Wetzel was appointed Secretary of Corrections for the PA DOC in January 2011 by Governor Tom Corbett following a 22-year career in county corrections that culminated in a position of warden at Franklin County jail where he oversaw a 20% population reduction during his tenure. After Governor Tom Wolf was elected in 2014, Sec. Wetzel was reappointed by Gov. Wolf in January 2015 and again in January 2019.
During his tenure as Secretary, not only did DOC experience the end of a 24-year average growth of 1,500 inmates per year, but also the first population reduction in PA in over 4 decades, with a total reduction thus far of over 4,200 inmates. Sec. Wetzel has guided the Department in restructuring Community Corrections, the mental health systems and significant security enhancements while at the same time, significantly reducing spending. With 30 years of experience in the corrections field, he served as Chair of the Council of State Government’s Justice Center’s Executive Board of which he is now a member. He also served as the recent President of the CLA (Correctional Leaders Association) formerly ASCA and a member of Harvard’s Executive Session on Community Corrections.
On the federal level, he was tapped by the Obama administration to be the corrections expert on the Chuck Colson taskforce – which was a congressionally created group tasked with assessing the Federal Bureau of Prisons and providing the administration and congress with recommendations on improvement. More recently, he was named by the Trump administration to the congressionally created oversight committee to the federal First Step Act.
He is graduate of Bloomsburg University, and recipient of honorary Doctorate degrees from both Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Chestnut Hill College.
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