The Post and Courier
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Corrections Director Jon Ozmint today was awarded the Order of the Palmetto, the state’s highest civilian honor that recognizes lifetime service to South Carolina and the nation, by formerGov. Mark Sanford.
Before being appointed to run Corrections in 2003, Mr. Ozmint served on active duty with the U.S. Navy in the Judge Advocate General Corps. He continues to serve in the U.S. Navy Reserve as a Commander. Upon leaving active duty, Mr. Ozmint served as prosecutor in the Tenth Circuit Solicitor’s Office, and later worked in the S.C. Attorney General’s Office as Deputy Attorney General and Chief Prosecutor for the statewide Grand Jury.
Mr. Ozmint is the fifth longest serving corrections director in the country, having served from January 2003 until January 2011. Today is his last day as director of the agency. In a farewell speech to agency staff after receiving the award, Mr. Ozmint thanked former Gov. Sanford for his support. “If any governor in the history of this state has ever been more supportive of a corrections director, through thick and thin, I am unaware of that history,” Mr. Ozmint said.