Abercrombie announces deputy directors for Public Safety, Health departments

HONOLULU—On Friday, Gov. Neil Abercrombie announced the appointment of Deputy Director for the Department of Public Safety and Deputy Director of Behavioral Health for Department of Health.

Joe Booker (Deputy Director of Corrections, DPS) has over 35 years of experience working in corrections at the federal and state levels. Booker has managed several prison facilities. He is the president of Booker Security, a security and correctional based consulting firm specializing in correctional management, training, and investigations. Previously, Booker served as the Warden at the D. Ray James Correctional Facility; and Chief Correctional Supervisor, Associate Warden, and Warden of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Booker holds a B.S. in Psychology; he is a graduate of Leadership Enhancement and Development Phase III, Correctional Leadership Development, and Executive Development.

Greg Payton (Deputy Director of Behavioral Health, DOH) has over 25 years of experience leading non-profit organizations for people with disabilities and cultural diversity. He most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of Mental Health Kokua in Honolulu. Payton previously worked at Kaiser Permanente Hawaii Region and Wai’anae Coast Community Mental Health Center. 

Payton holds an MBA from University of Hawai’i, a M.A. in Psychology from Wichita State University, and a B.S. in Sociology from Arizona State University. He is a Weinberg Fellows alumnus.