Damon T. Hininger

Damon T. Hininger graduated from Kansas State University, where he received a bachelor of science degree in sociology with a specialization in criminology.[1][2][3] He received a masters in business administration from Belmont University in Nashville.[1][2][4]

Hininger joined Corrections Corporation of America as a correctional officer at their Leavenworth Detention Center in Leavenworth, Kansas in 1992.[2][3] Two years later, in 1994, he became a training manager at their Central Arizona Detention Center in Florence, Arizona.[2] By 1995, he joined the corporate headquarters in Nashville.[2] He has served as its Chief Executive Officer since 2009.[1][5] In 2014, he announced his plan to offer more educational training for prisoners to find employment once their sentence comes to an end.[6]

He served on the board of directors of the Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce.[7]

In 2015, Hininger donated US$1,500 in political contributions to both Megan Barry and David Fox during the election for Mayor of Nashville.[8]

Hininger serves on the board of directors of the United Way of Metropolitan Nashville.[4] He also serves on the Board of Directors of Men of Valor, a rehabilitation program for male ex-prisoners.[9] Additionally, he serves on the Board of Trustees of Belmont University.[10] In 2018, students at Belmont University called for Hininger's removal from the Board of Trustees due to CoreCivic's profits from migrant detention.[11]

Hininger is married to Carrie Hininger.[9] They have two children.[9] They reside in Brentwood, Tennessee,[10] and attend the First Presbyterian Church of Nashville.[9]