Executive Leadership

Leading with Passion and Commitment

Damon T. Hininger, President and Chief Executive Officer
Damon Hininger was named President and Chief Executive Officer of CoreCivic in August 2009, having previously been appointed as President and Chief Operating Officer in July 2008. He served as senior vice president of Federal and Local Customer Relations since September 2007 after having served as vice president of Federal and Local Customer Relations since June 2002. Hininger previously served CoreCivic as vice president of Business Analysis since December 2000. He has also served the company as director of Strategic Planning and director of Proposal Development. Hininger joined CoreCivic in 1992 as a correctional officer at Leavenworth Detention Center in Leavenworth, Kansas, and was promoted to training manager at Central Arizona Detention Center in 1994. That same year, Hininger was also selected as both Central Arizona Detention Center's and CoreCivic's companywide Employee of the Year. He joined the corporate office in 1995, serving as manager of Facility Start Up for three years.

Hininger currently serves as a member of the Tennessee Chamber Board of Directors, Tennessee Leadership Business Council, Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, Men of Valor Board of Directors and the Middle Tennessee Boy Scouts of America Board of Directors. He also serves on the Kansas State Foundation Board of Directors and the Pi Kappa Alpha Foundation Board of Trustees. In 2011, Hininger was named by Forbes as one of the "Top 20 Most Powerful CEOs 40 and Under." More recently in 2022, Hininger was honored with the E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement award by the American Correctional Association, the highest honor bestowed on a correctional professional in the industry.

Hininger earned a bachelor's degree from Kansas State University and a master's of business administration from the Jack Massey Graduate School of Business at Belmont University. He was honored in 2010 as the Massey Graduate School Alumni of the Year.

Cole Carter, Executive Vice President and General Counsel
Cole Carter was named Executive Vice President and General Counsel in July 2018. In his role, he is responsible for the legal affairs of the company and he serves as the principle legal advisor to CoreCivic's executive leadership team and Board of Directors. Most recently, Carter served as Associate General Counsel. He joined CoreCivic in 1992 as an academic instructor at Metro-Davidson County Detention Facility. He was promoted to manager of Educational Services at the Facility Support Center, where he has also served as director of Educational Services. Carter joined the Legal Department in 2006 as Assistant General Counsel. Since 2016, he has served as president of the CoreCivic Cares Fund, which provides short-term assistance to CoreCivic employees who are undergoing financial hardship.

Carter holds a bachelor's degree from Tennessee State University, a master's degree from Middle Tennessee State University, and a Juris Doctor from Nashville School of Law.

David Churchill, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer
David Churchill was named Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer in May 2019, after having served as vice president of Human Resources for five years. As CHRO, Churchill oversees all aspects of human resources including learning and development, benefits, talent management and organizational development. He also leads the company's diversity, equity and inclusion work as an executive sponsor.

Churchill joined CoreCivic in August 2012 as senior director of Organizational Development. He has over 30 years of experience in human resources, talent management, and organizational development, having served in various senior-level roles at Bank of America, Ingersoll Rand, and Tractor Supply Company.

Churchill holds a bachelor's degree in business management from Eastern Illinois University, a master's of business administration from Aurora University, and a doctorate in organizational behavior from The George Washington University.

David Garfinkle, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer
David Garfinkle became Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer in May 2014. Garfinkle joined CoreCivic in 2001 as vice president, Finance. Prior to joining CoreCivic, he was vice president and controller for Bradley Real Estate, Inc., a publicly-traded, $1 billion real estate investment trust in Chicago. He also worked as a senior manager in the Audit practice at KPMG Peat Marwick. Currently, Garfinkle serves as the executive sponsor for CoreCivic's military business resource group.

Garfinkle is a licensed Certified Public Accountant and he holds a bachelor's degree in business administration from St. Bonaventure University. He also serves as a board member, executive committee member, and previously served as Chair of the Finance Committee of Junior Achievement of Middle Tennessee.

Tony Grande, Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer
Tony Grande assumed the role of Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer in July 2008 after serving as Senior Vice President of State Customer Relations since September 2007. Grande joined CoreCivic in 2003 in the newly created role of Vice President of State Customer Relations. Whether it’s crowded facilities, skyrocketing taxpayer costs or returning citizens struggling to break the cycle of crime, Grande’s team helps federal, state and local systems across the country meet these challenges with a wide range of solutions from traditional corrections and reentry programming, to alternatives to corrections. He also serves as Chairman of the CoreCivic Foundation.

Prior to joining CoreCivic, Grande previously served as Tennessee's Commissioner of Economic and Community Development (ECD). In that role, he led the recruitment and expansion of business to the State, managing an $85 million budget and 200 employees. Having worked in Tennessee government since 1998, Grande served as Assistant Commissioner and later as Deputy Commissioner of ECD. He previously led a publishing and database marketing company and served as a political speechwriter in Washington, DC.

Grande earned his masters of education at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee and his bachelor of arts from the American University in Washington, D.C.

Lucibeth Mayberry, Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer
Lucibeth Mayberry was named Executive Vice President and Chief Innovation Officer in October 2022. In her role, Mayberry oversees both the CoreCivic Properties and CoreCivic Community divisions. Her responsibilities include directing the development, construction, and financing of criminal justice properties, M&A activity, energy and maintenance management for approximately 17 million square feet of real estate nationwide, and the operation of all community corrections sites for the CoreCivic Community segment. She also leads the company’s diversity, equity and inclusion work as an executive sponsor, and works closely with the women's business resource group.

Before her role was expanded to Chief Innovation Officer, Mayberry served as executive vice president of the Real Estate division. Throughout her tenure with the company, she has served in a variety of leadership roles including senior vice president, Real Estate; vice president & deputy chief development officer; and vice president, Research, Contracts and Proposals. She joined CoreCivic in May 2003 as senior director, State Partnership Relations, and was promoted to managing director, State Partnership Relations, in 2004.

Before joining CoreCivic, Mayberry served as a senior associate of the Taxation and Estate Planning Practice Group at the Nashville-based law firm Stokes, Bartholomew, Evans and Petree.

Mayberry holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Tennessee, a juris doctor from Vanderbilt University, and a master of laws in taxation from the University of Florida.

Patrick Swindle, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
Patrick Swindle was named Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer in December 2020 after having served as Executive Vice President and Chief Corrections Officer since January 2018. Swindle joined CoreCivic in 2007 as managing director of Treasury, and he was promoted to vice president & treasurer in July 2009. He became vice president of Strategic Development in August 2013 when CoreCivic created the Strategic Development department focused on the broad-based identification, analysis and execution of complementary corporate growth opportunities. Swindle was named vice president, Treasury and Strategic Development in April 2014. By October 2016, Swindle served in the role of senior vice president of Operations. Currently, Swindle serves as the executive sponsor for CoreCivic's multicultural business resource group.

Prior to joining CoreCivic, he spent 10 years as a research analyst in the equity capital markets divisions of SunTrust Equitable Securities, Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. and Avondale Partners, LLC. During his time as an equity analyst, Swindle conducted company research across multiple industries, including partnership corrections.

Swindle holds a bachelor’s degree in finance from Western Kentucky University.