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Bobby Lumpkin will be the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s next executive director, leading one of the largest state agencies that is also in the midst of a correctional staffing crisis.

Lumpkin, who is currently the agency’s chief operations officer, will assume the top role on Sept. 1, TDCJ’s governing board announced Tuesday. He replaces Executive Director Bryan Collier, who is set to retire on Aug. 31 after nine years on the job.

Lumpkin, who joined TDCJ in 1990 as a correctional officer, will soon head an agency that oversees over 100 prisons and around 140,000 inmates.

This work is taking place amid a statewide staffing shortage , including hi

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