FSU Social Work Alumni Appointed Florida Department of Juvenile Justice Secretary
Matthew (Matt) Walsh (MSW ’21) was appointed on August 13, 2025, as the secretary of the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).
Walsh has nearly 30 years of law enforcement experience, and most recently served as deputy executive director of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). At FDLE, he led the Public Safety Command, which included Capitol Police, Protective Services Division, Criminal Justice Information Services and Technology, High Tech Cyber, Targeted Violence Prevention Program and Officer Wellness.
“Florida’s juvenile justice system is in great hands with Matt Walsh,” said Eric Hall, former secretary of DJJ. “I look forward to the great work he and the DJJ team will continue to do to build on the success of enhancing public safety in serving Florida’s youth and families.”
He began his career in law enforcement in 1997 with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office, serving for nearly six years before joining FDLE. For more than two decades, Walsh served in FDLE leadership positions in Fort Myers, Jacksonville and Tallahassee. He also served on the FBI’s Joint Terrorism Task Force and the US Marshals Fugitive Task Force. And in 2020, he was appointed by Governor DeSantis as interim Sheriff of Clay County, Florida.
He earned his bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Southern Vermont University and his master’s in social work from the FSU College of Social Work’s Online MSW Program.
Walsh has stressed the importance of mental wellness and stress management in law enforcement, crediting his wife, Michelle, a licensed clinical social worker, as the person who influenced him to pursue a graduate degree in social work.
During his career with FDLE, Walsh founded and coordinated the agency’s Critical Incident Stress Management and Peer Support Team, providing mental wellness and stress management services to officers across Florida. Through this program, he launched a Post-Critical Incident Seminar in 2024. The seminar is a confidential and free peer-to-peer program offering education on trauma, patterns of resolution and evidence-based coping strategies for law enforcement.
Walsh also served as the only law enforcement representative within Florida’s delegation to the Governor’s Challenge, an interagency initiative aimed at reducing suicide among service members, veterans and their families.
“I look forward to working with DJJ’s dedicated staff and partners,” he said, “to build stronger youth, stronger families and safer communities in Florida.”