Director Candace Walker began her career at the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) as a laboratory technician in Drug Chemistry. After a year and a half, she transferred and became a scientist in the Firearm and Toolmark discipline. Throughout her time at the GBI, she worked on various committees, including one that created appropriate career development tracks. She joined the Defense Forensic Science Center, formerly the United States Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory (USACIL) and in 2012, she took on an eight-month international service assignment in Afghanistan, where she conducted firearm and toolmark analysis for military cases. In 2014, she returned to Afghanistan for 12 months with Ideal Innovations, Inc. as a Forensic Mentor.

Candace joined the Atlanta Police Department in 2015 as the first Black woman to hold the title of Crime Laboratory Director for the agency and, presumably, the nation.  In 2022, her hard work and dedication paid off as the APD crime laboratory achieved nationally accredited status, a feat that only four other GA forensic labs have achieved, with GBI being one of those labs.

Candace is the recipient of many awards and accolades, and she is also a member of a variety of highly esteemed organizations such as: Jackie Robinson Foundation Alumni Association; the Atlanta Chapter President of the Loyola University New Orleans Alumni Association; LEAD Atlanta Alumni Association, the Stone Mountain-Lithonia Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. (SMLAC, DST), the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE) and the Atlanta Fire and Rescue Foundation Young Executive Board (AFRFYE). She won the Lloyd Sealy award from the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives. This award is given to a person for outstanding service or accomplishments in the field of criminal justice. For her contributions to the profession, Candace was recognized as an International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) 40 under 40 Award recipient for 2018.

Director Walker holds a bachelor’s degree in Biology specializing in Forensic Chemistry and a master’s degree in Criminal Justice Administration from Loyola University, New Orleans. She is also a graduate of the Women’s Leadership Institute from the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) and the Atlanta Police Leadership Institute (APLI) Tier 4 program. She is the owner of a wine and book bar business that she opened during the pandemic to be part of the revitalization of the area where she grew up. Candace is a native of Mount Morris, MI, and in her spare time, she enjoys voice acting and international travel.