10/16/2026
The Cherokee Sheriff's Office (CSO) is pleased to announce the appointment of Retired Colonel (COL) Gerald “David” Burris as the agency’s full‑time Senior Chaplain, effective immediately following his retirement from the Georgia Army National Guard as their Senior Army Chaplain on 30 September 2026.
Chaplain Burris joins CSO full‑time after 28 years of honorable military service, spanning almost three decades of combined enlisted and commissioned service. Born in Marion County, Arkansas and raised in Franklin, Arkansas, Chaplain Burris began his military career in 1984 as an Infantryman (11B) in the Arkansas National Guard. He returned to military service as a Chaplain in 2006 and went on to serve in multiple senior-level assignments, including Battalion Chaplain for the 1‑108th Cavalry Squadron; Brigade Chaplain for the 48th Infantry Brigade Combat Team; Brigade Chaplain for the 78th Homeland Response Force and 78th Troop Command; Deputy Operations Chaplain for Joint Force Headquarters; and Command Chaplain for Joint Task Force North. He concludes his military career as the State Chaplain of the Georgia Army National Guard.
Chaplain Burris deployed twice in support of Operation Enduring Freedom and later supported the Southwest Border Mission in 2020. His awards include the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal w/OLC, Army Commendation Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal w/2 OLC, National Defense Service Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal, Armed Forces Reserve Medal w/M device, Army Overseas Service Ribbon w/numeral 2, Army Service Ribbon, NATO ISAF Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal w/3 bronze stars, Army Reserve Components Overseas Training Ribbon, Meritorious Unit Citation Ribbon w/OLC, Combat Action Badge, Georgia National Guard Meritorious Service Ribbon, Georgia Distinguished Unit Ribbon, Georgia Distinguished Foreign Service Ribbon, Georgia National Guard Special Operations Ribbon w/2 bronze stars, Georgia State Activation Ribbon, Georgia Pandemic Response Ribbon, and the Georgia Humanitarian Service Ribbon.
Longtime Service to the Cherokee Sheriff's Office
While serving in the military, Chaplain Burris dedicated more than 20 years of volunteer service to the Cherokee Sheriff's Office beginning in August 2001. In September 2026, he officially transitioned into his full‑time role as Senior Chaplain.
In this role, Chaplain Burris leads the agency’s Road Chaplaincy and Jail Chaplaincy Programs, overseeing a team of 10 law enforcement chaplains who provide pastoral care and emotional support to deputies, detention officers, civilian staff, partner public safety agencies, their families, and citizens of all faiths coping with the traumatic loss of a loved one.
Expanded Chaplain Duties Within CSO
As Senior Chaplain, Burris provides:
• 24/7 on-call response to critical and traumatic incidents
• Support during line‑of‑duty injuries, officer‑involved shootings, and crisis scenes
• Death notifications delivered with compassion and dignity
• Pastoral crisis intervention including CISM defusings and debriefings
• Confidential counseling for personnel and their families
• Spiritual care during illness, hospitalization, grief, marital crises, and family hardship
• Weddings, funerals, memorials, and agency ceremonies
• Coordination with local clergy, hospitals, community organizations, and faith volunteers
Recognizing the Service of Jail Chaplain Doug Miannay
The Sheriff’s Office also recognizes the extensive service of Chaplain Doug Miannay, who has served CSO for more than 30 years. As a dedicated volunteer, Chaplain Miannay became the Lead Jail Chaplain, where he has provided spiritual care, crisis intervention, faith‑based programming, and emotional support for inmates and detention staff across three decades.
Chaplain Burris works closely with Chaplain Miannay to support both the inmate population and the employees of the Adult Detention Center. Together they coordinate religious services, train faith‑based volunteers, and maintain a steady pastoral presence in a challenging correctional environment.
A Continued Commitment to Service
The Cherokee Sheriff's Office is honored to welcome Chaplain Burris into full‑time service. His decades of military experience, combined with his long-standing dedication to this agency, strengthen the emotional, spiritual, and psychological support available to all CSO personnel of all faiths and the community we serve.
Chaplain Burris and his wife, Jenni, reside in Woodstock, Georgia, and their son, Jedidiah works full-time for CRU at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
