Mr. Jake Gadsden, Jr. was appointed by Governor Henry McMaster as Director of the South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services on January 23, 2025, and he was then confirmed by the South Carolina Senate on February 27, 2025.

Prior to accepting the position as SCDPPPS Director, Gadsden previously served as the Deputy Director for Programs, Reentry, and Rehabilitative Services for the South Carolina Department of Corrections (SCDC). As Deputy Director for Programs, Reentry, and Rehabilitative Services for SCDC, Gadsden oversaw the agency's divisions responsible for reentry, education, inmate services, transitional services, and victim services. He also managed divisions overseeing prison industries and support services, including canteen, commissary, horticulture, and recycling and solid waste. Gadsden joined SCDC in 2019, previously serving as Regional Director of Operations and Warden at Tyger River Correctional Institution.

His extensive career also includes leadership roles with the Massachusetts Department of Corrections as a superintendent and warden, as well as the Rhode Island Department of Corrections as a warden, assistant director of institutions, and operations deputy director. Gadsden, 65, is a resident of Chapin, S.C. He earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of South Carolina and completed the Harvard University School of Government Tier Management Training program.