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Careers

Cabinet HR Staff

Tabitha Hobbs

Branch Manager
Human Resources Branch
Department of Corrections

Tabitha Hobbs is the human resource branch manager for the Kentucky Department of Corrections (DOC). In this role, Hobbs oversees DOC's Personnel Branch and provides assistance to all DOC staff with regards to human resources, including all hiring, dismissal, and disciplinary action.

Hobbs began her career with the Department of Public Health, Newborn Screening Lab as an administrative specialist III in September 2007. In February 2009, she promoted to the Labor Cabinet, Office of the Secretary as a human resource specialist III.

In April 2011 Hobbs was promoted to human resource administrator with the Department of Corrections, Division of Personnel Service in the Payroll Branch. In October 2012, she transferred to GAPS (General Administration and Program Support for Shared Services) where she served the Energy and Environment Cabinet, Labor Cabinet, and Public Protection Cabinet with personnel, payroll, and benefits.

Prior to returning to DOC, she worked for the Department of Juvenile Justice in personnel.

Hobbs is a 2007 graduate of Midway College.


Brandy Kelly

Branch Manager
Human Resources Branch
Kentucky State Police

Brandy Kelly transferred to the Kentucky State Police (KSP) Human Resources Branch in May 2020, as the human resources branch manager. In this role, Kelly oversees and provides guidance on all personnel, payroll and insurance actions regarding sworn KSP employees and 18A employees.

Kelly started her HR career at the Kentucky Court of Justice as the HR Generalist, where she spent 10 years before transferring to the executive branch in 2013. As the HR Spec III, Kelly was the primary insurance coordinator for Kentucky State Police, and processed personnel and payroll actions for the agency. Shortly afterwards she was promoted to HR administrator of KSP.

During this time, Kelly earned her bachelor's degree in HR management from Campbellsville University, participated in IPMA-KY chapter organization, and selected as a participant in the Governor's Minority Management Training Program (GMMTP). While participating in the GMMTP, Brandy was promoted to the HR branch manager position at the Energy and Environment Cabinet. She served two years in this role before transferring back to KSP as the HR branch manager. 


Rodney Moore

Division Director
Division of Employee Management
Department of Corrections

After serving in the Navy, Moore began his Department of Corrections career in April 2003, as a correctional officer at Northpoint Training Center. He was promoted to Sergeant at Northpoint Training Center in January 2007. In September 2007, he was promoted to Lieutenant at Blackburn Correctional Complex. While in these roles, Moore served as a member of the Department's Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT).

Moore's career in human resources began in 2009, when he assumed the role of Human Resource Administrator - Institutional at the Frankfort Career Development enter (FCDC) where he also served as the Institutional Training Coordinator.

In July 2011, upon the closure of FCDC, Moore transferred to Human Resource Specialist III in the Division of Personnel Services, Payroll Branch, then promoted to Human Resource Administrator.

In 2013, he was promoted to Human Resources Branch Manager. Rodney now oversees the Office of Human Resource Management, Division of Employee Management as the Division Director.


Tina Moss

Staff Assistant
Commissioner's Office
Department of Criminal Justice Training

Tina Moss currently serves the Department of Criminal Justice Training as a Staff Assistant within the Commissioner's Office and oversees the Human Resources Branch. She began her career at the agency in 2017 as Human Resources Branch Manager.

Moss has served as a Justice and Public Safety Cabinet employee for nearly 30 years, and has devoted her career to advising the Cabinet in personnel matters. Prior to DOCJT, she spent 20 plus years working within the Office of Management and Administrative Services, moving up the ranks from personnel administrator/personnel management specialist to Executive Staff Assistant. Moss served as Deputy Chief of Staff for Justice Cabinet Secretary John Tilley before joining DOCJT.

Moss's career with the Commonwealth of Kentucky began in 1989 when she joined the Kentucky Department of Corrections' Probation and Parole Office in Lawrenceburg. She has served in many positions throughout her career, all with the Justice and Public Safety Cabinet. In all the positions she has served, human resources and payroll have been her main responsibility.

Moss holds an associate's degree in business administration from Sullivan University. She has one daughter, Emma Thompson.


Ashley Thomas

Branch Manager
Division of Employee Management
EEO/Employee Relations Branch

Ashley Thomas began her career in state government in 2010 with the Energy and Environment Cabinet. In 2012, she transferred to the Labor Cabinet where she was a human resource liaison between department officers and the Cabinet's human resources division.

In November 2014, Ashley joined the Department of Corrections' Division of Personnel Services Payroll Branch. During that time, she served as the Department's workers compensation administrator and provided payroll and leave administration support to the state's institutions and other DOC offices. In July 2016, Ashley was promoted to Payroll Branch Manager to oversee payroll, benefits and leave administration operations for the Department. Ashley received the Department of Corrections Rookie of the Year Award in 2015 for her assistance to the Division of Personnel Services during a staffing shortage. She completed the Department of Corrections Commissioner's Executive Leadership Program during fiscal year 2016-2017.

Ashley has been a member of the Kentucky Chapter International Public Management Association for Human resources (IPMA-HR) since 2012 and has held several board and committee positions. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Public Administration from Kentucky State University in 2013.


Cynthia Watson

Branch Manager
Human Resources Branch
Department of Juvenile Justice

Cynthia Watson is the Human Resources Branch Manager with the Kentucky Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). Watson studied Business Administration at Kentucky State University. She began her career in Human Resources in 1994 and has been with DJJ since 1998. In 2007, she successfully completed the National Certified Public Manager Consortium and was designated a Certified Public Manager. In 2013, she received the Department of Juvenile Justice Central Office Employee of the Year.

As the HR Branch Manager, she is responsible for Personnel, Payroll, Benefits, Outside Employment, Unemployment Insurance, Background Checks (National Crime Information Center (NCIC) and Child Abuse/Neglect (CAN)), Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO), American's with Disability Act (ADA), Disability Retirement, Discipline, Family Medical Leave Act, Sick Leave Sharing, Worker's Compensation, Performance Evaluations, Light Duty and Medical Issues.

Watson Coordinates daily with DJJ's Commissioner's Office and DJJ Legal to resolve complex cases and provides professional HR advice. She provides professional training on a variety of HR related topics. She currently has 25 years with Kentucky State Government.


Tammy Lou Wright

Administrative Branch Manager, Recruiting & Staff Development
Division of Personnel Services
Department of Corrections

Wright began her career with DOC in 2001. During her years of service, she has moved up the ranks, holding positions in the Division of Probation and Parole, at Northpoint Training Center, and at central office with classification and home incarceration. She joined the Victim Services Branch in 2006. In 2013 she was promoted to oversee operation of Kentucky's three automated Victim Notification Everyday (VINE) services. She spent over 11 years advocating on others' behalf in Victim Services.

In August of 2017, Wright joined the Division of Personnel the head up the Department's Recruiting efforts. Wright's experience from the various areas of the department provides valuable insight for recruiting for the DOC. In addition to job fairs, she and her recruitment team utilized digital job markers to connect job seekers to hiring managers. Also in this role, she also took over as the agency's EEO Coordinator. Her advocate experience made her the perfect person to assist staff who felt they've been discriminated against.

In 2014 Wright was elected to represent the nation's VINE program managers on the national VINE Advisory Committee (VAC) which she served until 2017. She has been a member of the Department's Critical Incident Staff Debriefing Team since 2016. Wright served two terms as state president for Kentucky Council on Crime and Delinquency (KCCD). She is a graduate of the 2013 Commissioner's Executive Leadership Program and a recipient of a 2010 Commissioner's Award. She has been trained as a PREA investigator and served as a speaker at the 2018 Governor's EEO, Diversity Leadership Conference.