Dr. Gary Junker has more than 34 years of clinical and healthcare management experience in diverse correctional settings. Dr. Junker began his career with North Carolina state government in 2015 as behavioral health director for prisons and was promoted to Director of Health and Wellness in 2020 before assuming his current role as Deputy Secretary for the DAC Division of Comprehensive Health Services.
He began his corrections career in 1989 working at the Atlanta Federal Penitentiary and served for 24 years as a clinician and administrator within the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He served as an auditor for federal prisons for four years working from the BOP Central Office in Washington, D.C., and retired as Chief Psychologist at the Federal Correctional Complex in Butner.
After retiring from federal service, he served for two years as statewide mental health director on contract to the Tennessee Department of Correction.
Dr. Junker earned a doctoral degree in psychology from Georgia State University, a master’s from the University of New Mexico, and is licensed to practice psychology in North Carolina. He has authored or co-authored multiple peer reviewed articles and has presented on diverse topics related to correctional healthcare at conferences across the United States.