Deal appoints Division of Family and Children Services interim director

Gov. Nathan Deal today appointed Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) Director Tom Rawlings to be the interim director of the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS). Rawlings’ appointment follows the departure of DFCS Director Virginia Pryor. Deal also appointed OCA Deputy Director Rachel Davidson to serve as Interim OCA Director. Both appointments are effective Aug. 1. 

“Every child deserves a safe, loving and supportive environment in which to grow and learn,” said Deal. “DFCS and OCA are instrumental in our efforts to protect and care for Georgia’s youngest and most vulnerable citizens, while providing all children with greater opportunities to succeed. Throughout his extensive career in juvenile justice and child advocacy, Tom Rawlings has demonstrated a profound commitment to ensuring the health and wellbeing of young people across our state. I am confident he will serve Georgia well and that Rachel Davidson will build upon our initiatives at OCA. I am grateful for Director Pryor’s leadership and wish her the best in her next endeavor.” 

Tom C. Rawlings – Interim Director, Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS)
Rawlings is the director of the Office of the Child Advocate. He was the first full-time juvenile court judge in the Middle Judicial Circuit and oversaw juvenile justice and child protection cases in five counties. Rawlings was the country director for International Justice Mission in Guatemala, where he directed a child sexual abuse prosecution and treatment team. He is certified as a child welfare law specialist by the National Association of Counsel for Children and a former Fulbright Senior Specialist in law. Rawlings is the author of “Georgia Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice: Policy, Practice and Procedure.” He earned a bachelor’s degree from Duke University, a law degree from the University of Georgia School of Law and a master’s degree with distinction in International Human Rights Law from the University of Oxford. Rawlings and his wife, Kay, have three children and reside in Sandersville. 

Rachel H. Davidson – Interim Director, Office of the Child Advocate (OCA)
Davidson is the deputy director of the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA). She has more than a decade of experience as a child welfare attorney and was previously a policy analyst for OCA. Davidson has represented children in dependency cases with the DeKalb County Child Advocacy Center and served as a fellow for the Cold Case Project administered by the Supreme Court of Georgia’s Committee on Justice for Children. She also served as a juvenile court liaison for the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services and as the unit manager of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children. Davidson earned a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Florida and a master’s degree in Business Administration and a law degree from Stetson University. She and her husband, Patrick, have two children and live in Dunwoody.