File photos West Virginia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Commissioner Billy Marshall reads a proclamation from Gov. Jim Justice honoring longtime Vienna Police Chief Gary Deem during a ceremony at Spencer Park in Vienna in 2023.

DCR Commissioner William Marshall in a 2023 meeting said that progress is being made toward reversing correctional officer shortages in West Virginia.

PARKERSBURG — The former commander of the West Virginia State Police detachments in Pleasants and Wood counties has been tapped by President Donald Trump as the next director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

“I am pleased to announce that William ‘Billy’ Marshall III, of the Great State of West Virginia, a State I love and won SIX times, as the next Director of the Bureau of Prisons,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. “Billy has a distinguished Law Enforcement career, rising from the ranks of the West Virginia State Police to serving as the current Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation. He understands the struggles of our prisons better than anyone, and will help fix our broken Criminal Justice System. Congratulations Billy, you will inspire us all!”

Marshall was appointed to the statewide commissioner post by then-Gov. Jim Justice in 2023 after serving as assistant commissioner for the division and its Bureau of Juvenile Services since May 2018.

Justice, now representing West Virginia in the U.S. Senate, applauded the pick on X, formerly Twitter.

“I was proud to put Billy in charge of our Department of Corrections in West Virginia and we were able to turn it around after decades of decay,” said Justice, R-W.Va. “I have full confidence in him and know he will do a great job.”

“Great news!” U.S. Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va., said on social media. “Billy Marshall has done great things as Commissioner of the WV Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and I know that he will do even better things as the Director of the @OfficialFBOP!”

West Virginia Gov. Patrick Morrisey also weighed in, saying Marshall will “do great things for our country” under Trump’s leadership.

“It’s outstanding to have a strong West Virginian in the Trump Administration who will champion the President’s law and order agenda!” Morrisey wrote on X.

Locally, the pick was applauded by Wood County Sheriff Rick Woodyard and one of his predecessors, Jeff Sandy, the former secretary of the West Virginia Department of Homeland Security.

“To see someone from the hometown hold a position like that is awesome,” Woodyard said. “He’s very much qualified. … I’ve known him for over 20 years, and it’s been an honor to work alongside him.”

Sandy praised Marshall’s track record of leadership.

“When Bill retired from the West Virginia State Police (in 2017), I hired him to be the head of the corrections investigative unit, and he excelled in that position,” Sandy said. “When an opening came up for Juvenile Services, I promoted him from that position to the director of Juvenile Services, and when the commissioner of corrections came open, I met with the governor’s office and recommended Bill for that job. … I’m just extremely happy for him, his family and our nation.”

A graduate of Wahama High School, Marshall joined the State Police in 1992. He served in Cabell and Jackson counties before becoming a member of the Parkersburg Narcotics Task Force. In 2001, he and his family moved to Wood County.

Marshall served as commander of the State Police detachments in Pleasants County then Wood County and spent three years in Charleston as the State Police deputy director of traffic records. He returned to lead the Parkersburg detachment before retiring at age 47.

During his time in the area, he was an assistant football and basketball coach at Parkersburg South High School and Edison Middle School.

Marshall, who could not immediately be reached for comment Friday, spoke with the News and Sentinel in 2023 after being appointed commissioner of the state Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

“I don’t have all the answers, but I certainly have the work ethic and the desire,” he said of the opportunity. “It’s a tremendous challenge, but I’m going to put in the work.”

The Associated Press noted that usually the attorney general, not the president, appoints the director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons. The position doesn’t require confirmation from the Senate.

Staff reporter Amber Phipps contributed to this story.