DJJ WELCOMES YANDURA AS BOARD MEMBER

Decatur, Georgia – Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) Commissioner Tyrone Oliver is pleased to announce that Gary Yandura, Chief of Police for the City of Brookhaven, has been appointed to serve as a board member with the state's youth correctional and rehabilitative agency.

"We welcome Chief Yandura to the Department of Juvenile Justice Board," said Commissioner Oliver. "I look forward to his expertise and active participation in the agency's work to transform the lives of youth placed in our care."

Chief Yandura was appointed to the DJJ Board by Governor Brian Kemp on October 21 and sworn-in by Board Chair Sandra Heath Taylor. He will represent Congressional District 6 on behalf of the Department.

"To be selected to sit on the Juvenile Justice Board is quite an honor," said Chief Yandura. "I look forward to serving the citizens of Georgia in this capacity."

Yandura began his law enforcement career in Lake Forest, Illinois, and later served as a police chief in Hiram and College Park, Georgia. In April 2012, he was appointed to be the first chief of the Brookhaven Police Department. Chief Yandura is a graduate of the FBI Academy of Law Enforcement Executive Development Program and Northwest University's Staff and Command School. He is certified by the Georgia Police Officers Standards and Training Council. He earned a master's degree in Public Administration from Roosevelt University in Chicago and a bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Illinois. Yandura and his wife, Lynne, live in Brookhaven and have two adult children.

The Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice is a multi-faceted agency that serves the state's youthful offenders up to 21 years of age. The Department's mission is to transform young lives by providing evidence-based rehabilitative treatment services and supervision, strengthening youth and families' well-being, and fostering safe communities. Visit us online at www.djj.georgia.gov.