Deb Wallace

Deb Wallace has been selected as the new city manager of Athens. A native of McMinn County, Wallace will join the city from Tennessee Wesleyan University where she has been serving as director of the Professional Leadership in Criminal Justice (PLCJ) program since 2021. Prior to that, Wallace spent 19 years with the state of Georgia’s Office of Inspector General, including more than seven years as the state’s inspector general and more than 10 years as senior deputy inspector general. Wallace retired as a lieutenant commander in the U.S. Navy in 2000 after a 20-year career. During that time, she also served as director of education and internal affairs investigator with the Tennessee Department of Corrections, as a fraud investigator with the U.S. Department of Army Civilian Personnel, as a security specialist with the U.S. Department of Energy, and as a special agent/criminal investigator with the U.S. Navy. Wallace also holds a bachelor’s degree from Chaminade University of Honolulu and a master’s degree from Troy University.