GEO Secure Services Leadership Team

J. David Donahue

Senior Vice President, & President
GEO Secure Services

J. David Donahue joined The GEO Group as the Eastern Region Vice President in 2009 after a distinguished career in corrections with the States of Indiana and Kentucky as well as the Federal Bureau of Prisons. In his previous role as the Eastern Regional Vice President, he was responsible for the operational oversight of over 24 correctional facilities encompassing over 31,000 beds. Mr. Donahue was promoted to Senior Vice President and President, GEO Secure Services in January 2016.

Prior to joining GEO, Mr. Donahue served as Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction. As Commissioner, he led a workforce of over 9,000 employees, supervising nearly 39,000 offenders in addition to 3,000 Juvenile Offenders and those individuals placed on community supervision. During his tenure with Indiana, Mr. Donahue worked diligently to instill best correctional practices. He employed his leadership skills to provide better protection to the public through an improved sex-offender registry system, enhanced facility security with the addition of state-of-the-art equipment and protocols, consolidated services to increase departmental efficiency and effectiveness, and prepared offenders for reentry using model case management practices.

Prior to leading the Indiana Department of Correction, Mr. Donahue served as Deputy Commissioner for the Kentucky Department of Corrections. In this position he provided administrative policy direction to all departmental divisions. He was responsible for the planning and supervision of duties for the Directors of the Division of Administrative Services, the Division of the Corrections Training, the Division of Correctional Industries, and the Branch Managers of Offender Information and Information and Technology.

Mr. Donahue began his corrections career as a Correctional Officer. During his correctional career he moved up the ranks serving in various positions including Case Worker, Unit Manager, Executive Assistant and Warden of several facilities in the country. Mr. Donahue now serves as Vice President of the American Correctional Association (ACA) and is an ACA-Certified Corrections Executive. In addition, he is an active member of the ACA and serves on the Restrictive Housing Sub-Committee. Mr. Donahue is also a member of the Association of State Correctional Administrators. He attended Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned his Bachelors of Science in Police Administration. He later attended Spalding University, where he completed coursework in the Masters of Arts in Teaching Graduate Program.

John E. Christakis M.D.

Chief Medical Officer
Health Services

Dr. John E. Christakis practiced Internal Medicine from 1982 to 2017 in Boca Raton, Florida. Dr. Christakis earned his medical degree from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York and upon graduation began a 3-year residency in Internal Medicine at the University of Miami Affiliated Hospitals – Jackson Memorial Hospital and Miami Veterans Hospital.

While in private practice, he joined the medical staff at the Boca Raton Regional Hospital and served on various hospital committees, including the Credentialing and Executive committees. In 1988, he also volunteered and served as a physician for the U.S. Olympic Diving and Swimming Team at Mission Bay in Boca Raton as well as for the athletes training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

Dr. Christakis also served for 7 years as Medical Director of the Regents Park Nursing and Rehabilitation facility. Following that, he joined the Federal Aviation Administration as a physician where he worked for 4 years.

Dr. Christakis places a priority on competent and compassionate care as well as operational excellence through accountability and training. By attending meetings at ACA and NCCHC as well as specialty medical conferences, he has remained abreast of issues confronting Correctional Medicine, both in the clinical realm as well as in policy and procedure development that evolve in this critical field serving our society.

Kyle P. Schiller

Executive Vice President,
GEO Secure Services & International Services

Kyle Schiller joined The GEO Group, Inc. in 1997 with 10 years of business management experience. As Vice President of Administration, Mr. Schiller coordinates with both the regional office teams and corporate staff on facility operations and administration, including staffing and deployment, budgeting and financial review, policies and procedures, food service operations, and physical plant management for over 65 correctional facilities. Mr. Schiller’s area of responsibility also includes GEO’s international operations with facilities located in the United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia.

Prior to his appointment as Vice President of Administration, Mr. Schiller served as the Director of Business Management for GEO’s Western Region for more than 10 years. In this position, he was responsible for directing, analyzing and reporting on the daily financial/accounting operations of over 20 facilities. He was also responsible for the operation and management of the facilities’ business office, commissary, inmate accounts, human resources, maintenance, payroll, accounting, food service, risk management, and IS, including ensuring financial compliance with all facility, company, client and accrediting association policies and procedures.

Prior to joining GEO, Mr. Schiller had a successful career in the hospitality industry holding various positions including General Manager of a number of full service hotels. Having worked for management companies such as Tarsadia, Trigild, Forte and American California Properties, Mr. Schiller’s hospitality experience includes not only operational management, but REO, development and renovation, and general property management.

Mr. Schiller holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and a Master of Business Administration degree from San Diego State University.

Blake R. Davis

Eastern Region Vice President

Blake Davis joined The GEO Group in 2013 after completing a 25-year career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons. After serving as Vice President of Operations at GEO's corporate office for approximately two years, he was promoted to GEO’s Eastern Regional Vice President where he currently oversees 23 facilities with a capacity of more than 30,000 beds and nearly 6,000 authorized staff positions. In managing GEO's largest business unit, he works closely with corporate staff to ensure facilities are operating at optimal levels to guarantee exceptional performance and client satisfaction.

Mr. Davis began his career in 1988 as an Intern and Correctional Officer at the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) of Phoenix, Arizona. He was subsequently promoted to Case Manager at FCI Phoenix, and then to Unit Manager at FCI Safford, Arizona, in 1996. In August 1998, he was selected as Executive Assistant and Public Information Officer at the Bureau’s most secure facility, the United States Penitentiary (USP), Administrative Maximum (ADX) Florence, Colorado. In this position, he received two national awards for managing significant media issues surrounding our nation’s most notorious inmates.

Mr. Davis was continuously promoted to positions of increasing responsibility with the Bureau, including:

Associate Warden – FCI Milan, MI and Federal Medical Center, Rochester MN;
Deputy Assistant Director, Correctional Programs Division
Warden – FCI Englewood, CO and USP Florence, CO

Mr. Davis was promoted to Complex Warden at the Federal Correctional Complex Florence in October 2009 and assumed management and oversight of the nation’s most secure facility, and a correctional complex with approximately 1,000 staff members and more than 3,000 inmates. During his tenure, Mr. Davis’ efforts resulted in a yearly reduction of over a million dollars in overtime costs, greatly enhanced intelligence sharing initiatives with federal partners and Bureau facilities, and the development of highly effective procedures and programming to manage the Bureau’s most difficult terrorist inmates. In 2010, he was awarded the Bureau's Excellence in Prison Management award which is given to the top warden in the Bureau of Prisons.

Mr. Davis was selected as Assistant Director for the Bureau in February 2012. In this capacity, he directed agency operations and security functions on both the secure and community sides of the agency, as well as significant branches impacting inmate management and programs. Included within his division were correctional services operations, security and emergency planning, investigative and intelligence functions, counter-terrorism initiatives, and gang management efforts. Mr. Davis oversaw critical operations such as Witness Security and Victim Witness operations, unit and case management functions, Inmate Designations and Sentence Computation Center, female offender programs, and mental health services. Mr. Davis was also responsible for the oversight of 250 residential reentry centers and home detention operations with over 12,000 inmates, 14 private prison contracts with a population of over 29,000 inmates, and all Bureau reentry initiatives. Upon his retirement in September of 2013, he was awarded the Bureau's Distinguished Service Medal for exceptionally meritorious service to the agency.

Mr. Davis is a native of Fairmont, Minnesota. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and Psychology from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, Minnesota.

James H. Black

Central Region Vice President

James Black joined The GEO Group, Inc. (GEO) in 1998 with over fourteen years experience in the corrections industry. In 2018, Mr. Black was promoted to Vice President of GEO’s Central Regional Office. Mr. Black maintains a one-on-one relationship with each facility warden to ensure compliance with all corporate, client, and contractual mandates. Previously, Mr. Black served as Vice President of GEO’s Western Regional Office where he was responsible for the operational oversight of 25 facilities and over 15,000 beds.

Mr. Black started his career in corrections, which spans 31 years, in 1985 as a Correctional Officer for the Texas Department of Corrections. Over the next 8 years, he rose through the ranks to the position of Senior Warden.

After 13 years with TDCJ, he left state employment and began his tenure with The GEO Group. James served as Warden of Lockhart, Travis and South Bay, before accepting the position of Assistant Director of Operations in the Central Region Office. In 2005, James was promoted to Director of Compliance for the Western Region. He later transferred to the position of Director of Operations before being named Vice President of the Western Region in 2009.

Mr. Black graduated from the Palestine Independent School District in 1981. He continued to supplement his corrections knowledge during his career with various training and educational courses from Ethics in Corrections to Emergency Management to Substance Abuse Emersion Training. Mr. Black is currently pursuing his Bachelor of Applied Science in Business Management at California Southern University.

Paul Laird

Western Region Vice President

Paul Laird has over 31 years of correctional experience and presently serves as GEO’s Western Region Vice President. Before he was promoted to GEO’s Western Region Vice President in 2018, Mr. Laird was the Director of Operations in GEO’s Eastern Region Office.

Prior to his employment with GEO, Mr. Laird served 29 years in the Federal Bureau of Prisons in multiple positions of authority, including two assignments as Warden. He was appointed to the Federal Government’s Senior Executive Service in 2005. Mr. Laird was the Regional Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ North Central Regional Office, overseeing 20 Federal facilities. Prior to that assignment, he served 5 years as the Chief Operating Officer of Federal Prison Industries and Assistant Director of the Industries, Educational and Vocational Training Division. From 2005 through 2012, he served on the AbilityOne Commission as a Presidential Appointee representing the United States Department of Justice.

Mr. Laird has a BA Degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Gustavus Adolphus College and a Certificate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California. He also completed the Senior Managers in Government Course, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, in 2006.

Ed Stubbs

Vice President, Transportation

As the Vice President of GEO’s in-house transportation division, GEO Transport Inc. (GTI), Ed Stubbs is responsible for the oversight of all GTI operations. As the Vice President in charge of all transportation for GTI Mr. Stubbs possesses a wealth of knowledge on all transportation related matters. His vast experience with preparing for and activating transportation contracts provides for a smooth transition from contract award to contract initiation.

With a 25 year Federal Law Enforcement career highlighted by appointment as United States Marshal by the U.S. Attorney General and appointed as Center Administrator for the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE, formerly INS) Krome Detention Center, Mr. Stubbs has specialized in detention facilities with emphasis on enhancing operational efficiency, team building and high customer satisfaction.

Mr. Stubbs served as United States Marshal and Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal from 1985 to 1998 and again from 2000 to 2005. As the U.S. Marshal and Senior Manager for the Southern District of Florida, Mr. Stubbs oversaw all operations within the district which consisted of 105 employees, 50 Federal Judges, $50 million in seized assets, five contract jail facilities and a daily prisoner population of ,1400.

During his tenure, Mr. Stubbs served on several boards, among them the Central Courthouse Management Detention and Cellblock Construction Standards Committee. This initial workgroup developed the standards and designs which exists today for all new and renovation courthouse projects for the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS).

Mr. Stubbs is certified as a Jail Inspector, Officer Technical Representative, Weapons of Mass Destruction Instructor and Firearms Instructor.

He has been honored with the USMS Director’s Special Achievement Award on two separate occasions, Director of the U.S. Attorney’s Award, National Medical Facility of the Year Award for the Krome Detention Center, the Narcotic Enforcement Officer of the Year and a nomination for ICE Commissioners Award. He was appointed an Honorary Kentucky Colonel by the Governor and Order of the Long Leaf Pine by the Governor of North Carolina.

Mr. Stubbs attended Georgia State University majoring in Business Administration. He is a Vietnam Era Veteran and served in the United States Army Medical Corps from 1970 to 1978.

Kenny Cauley

Vice President, Security
GEO Secure Services, & International Services

Kenny Cauley has more than 36 years of experience in the correctional industry, including a tenure of 20 years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). Mr. Cauley has worked in the public sector at the facility and headquarter levels. He began his career in corrections as a Correctional Officer and worked his way up through the ranks at several correctional institutions. He was a Warden at two BOP facilities - the Federal Correctional Institution in Ashland, Kentucky and the Federal Correctional Institution in McDowell, West Virginia. He also served as Associate Warden at two other facilities - the Federal Correctional Institution in Terminal Island, California and the United States Penitentiary in Victorville, California.

Mr. Cauley gained additional correctional industry experience working as the Chief of Strategic Planning for the Program Review Division of the BOP. In this role, he was responsible for oversight and management of Executive Staff management indicator data, the BOP strategic plan, and the BOP’s Institution Character Profile Program.

He is currently GEO’s Vice President, Security, U.S. Corrections & International Services. He develops staffing plans, reviews facility design for new projects, and reviews security electronics and physical security components to ensure optimal blending of operational security programs with physical security features. He works with the Directors of Operations in each regional office to provide GEO’s various clients with security operations that are based on contract requirements and industry-wide best practices.

Mr. Cauley previously served as GEO’s Director of Operations for the Eastern Regional Office. In this role, he was responsible for performing advanced administrative support work for the facilities of the Eastern Region.

Eben Morales

Vice President, Operations
GEO Secure Services

Eben Morales joined The GEO Group, Inc. in 2017 as Vice President, Operations. He is a retired Senior Law Enforcement Executive with 26 years of experience leading security programs and operations in the public sector. Prior to joining The GEO Group, Inc., Eben held the position of Assistant Director with the United States Marshals Service. He has been involved with the most sophisticated, complex criminal and civil cases including international and domestic financial crimes, seizures and forfeitures, and high profile fugitive investigations.

In his last assignment, Eben oversaw the agencies National Detention Program. In this capacity, he was responsible for the secure and humane housing, transportation, and medical care of all detainees remanded to the custody of the United States Marshal Service.

Eben is a member of the FBI National Executive Institute and the National Sheriffs' Association. Eben received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Barry University in Miami, Florida.

Philip C. Dugger

Vice President, Risk Management
CRM ARM CSP

Philip C. Dugger joined The GEO Group in 2014 and is the Vice President of Risk Management. Philip is responsible for Risk Management activities through out the organization for its operations. His responsibilities include: acquiring insurance and surety bonds, development and implementation of safety, management of workers compensation & claims administration and workplace violence prevention.

Philip has served in various roles of risk management through out his 22-year career. Philip has two certifications in risk management from separate certification bodies and is a certified safety professional through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals. Philip has spent much of his career in Healthcare although he has also spent time in Higher Education and K-12 Education working with private and government entities.

His background in risk control and risk management has contributed to the successful and proven strategies deployed within The GEO Group, toward the reduction of risk which contributes to shareholder value.

Philip received his Bachelor's Degree in Health Sciences from Illinois State University in 1994.