Mrs. Wallace received both her Bachelor and Master’s degrees in Criminal Justice from the University of South Carolina and is a Certified Public Manager (CPM), which is a nationally accredited comprehensive management development program.
Wallace has served on numerous boards and commissions that promote youth and family well-being. She is committed to the betterment of local communities and holds membership in numerous organizations including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc and is active with the Upsilon Omega Omega Chapter in Irmo, SC. Mrs. Wallace enjoys traveling with her husband and has two adult children.
Chief of Staff
The Chief of Staff provides direct leadership over multiple areas of the agency and ensures all daily operations are aligned with the agency's mission, vision and objectives. She serves as an advisor to the Agency Director, while maintaining the responsibility of leading the agency's efforts in developing and implementing overall strategic plans. The Chief of Staff’s Office is responsible for monitoring and strategically guiding the agency’s daily work activities to ensure directives are accomplished with maximum efficiency and through the most effective use of agency resources. This includes ability to hold Deputy Directors, Associate Deputies and Division Directors accountable for their divisions’ actions or omissions towards the strategic goals of the agency and to ensure the day-to-day functions of the agency are in line with the Agency’s mission, vision and values.
The Office of Human Resources (HR) is a cornerstone of the agency’s success, ensuring that a strong and capable workforce is in place to support the mission of juvenile justice. In addition to recruiting, hiring, and retaining qualified staff, HR provides comprehensive onboarding, manages employee benefits, workers’ compensation, payroll, and leave programs, and safeguards critical personnel records. The office also serves as a resource for staff to help foster a safe, equitable, and supportive work environment.
The Office of Professional Development ensures all staff receive the knowledge, skills, and ongoing development needed to work safely and effectively with youth, families, and communities. It designs, delivers, and evaluates training programs on security, case management, education, treatment, and leadership to support professional growth and compliance with state and federal standards. The office also promotes a culture of continuous learning by providing career development opportunities that strengthen workforce capacity and improve outcomes for youth.
The Office of Public Information serves as the central hub for all agency communications, ensuring consistent, accurate, and transparent messaging to both internal and external stakeholders. The office highlights agency initiatives, events, and accomplishments through professional photojournalism, newsletters, and internal communications that keep staff informed and engaged. It manages all media relations, serving as the primary point of contact for press inquiries, crisis communications, and public statements, while also overseeing the agency’s social media presence to promote community engagement and showcase the agency’s work. The office focuses on using photography to capture the dedication of staff and the resilience of youth, reflecting the agency’s mission in a way that builds trust, strengthens public perception, and fosters pride among employees.
The Office of Continuous Quality Improvement ensures that agency policies and practices are consistently followed, identifies gaps and trends, and provides data-driven recommendations for improvement. This office also produces audits and reports that guide resource allocation and inform targeted training initiative. This office leads the agency’s modernization efforts to simplify, consolidate, and integrate workflows, policies, and operations across divisions. This begins with Policy Management conducting an extensive review to streamline existing agency policies to eliminate redundancy and improve compliance with state and federal regulations.
The Office of Strategic Planning and Innovation leads strategic initiatives for SCDJJ, including oversight of the Statistical Group and the Research and Grant Management Office. This division ensures the Department remains focused on achieving its mission through clearly defined three-year goals, evidence-based strategies, and measurable outcomes. Currently, the office is finalizing the agency’s new strategic plan, which will guide operations and priorities across all divisions. In addition, we are advancing innovative projects that enhance our information management systems—critical tools that house all youth-related data—and expanding community-based prevention programs designed to reduce juvenile delinquency and strengthen public safety across South Carolina.