Women of color are shattering the divide and rewriting the narrative.
Trailblazing Melody Maddox is the first woman and first black woman to be elected as DeKalb County’s Sheriff. Earlier she made history as the first female Chief of Police at Georgia Piedmont Technical College.
Her current term ends on December 31, 2024. In her current position, the sheriff functions as a Law Enforcement Officer, an Officer of the Court, and as a Detention Officer.
A tireless community advocate, Maddox who aims to pass on the torch of fearless go-getters, impacting with mentorship programs, brings a wealth of experience in law enforcement spanning over 20 years. Sheriff Maddox has served as member of DeKalb County Police and the City of Atlanta Police Departments, as well as Chief of Police at Georgia Piedmont Technical College – the first female to take on the role. In 2008, during her time at Georgia Piedmont Technical College, she also served as the Assistant Chief of Police and was integral in the creation of their public safety office.
Owing to her dedication, commitment and strength of character, in 2019, Sheriff Maddox joined the DeKalb County Sheriff’s Office as the Chief of Administration and was soon promoted to Chief Deputy on July 1
the highest ranking non-elected position in the agency. In the same year, in November, Sheriff Maddox was appointed to serve out the remainder of Sheriff Mann’s term after his retirement – Sheriff Maddox became the county’s 50th sheriff on December 1, 2019.
Sheriff Maddox is P.O.S.T. (Peace Officer Standard Training) certified as well as certified as a defensive tactics instructor.
She earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from Morris Brown College. She also holds an MSA degree in General Administration from Central Michigan University, and a master’s degree in African-American Ministries from the Newburgh Theological Seminary.
