Michael Oliver serves as the Chief of Staff and Deputy Director of the South Carolina Department of Public Safety (SCDPS).

Chief Oliver brings a wealth of law enforcement experience to this role. He joined the South Carolina Highway Patrol in 1982 and ascended the ranks to deputy commander in 2009 before his appointment to colonel in 2011. He retired in 2017 with approximately 38 years of service in South Carolina law enforcement. He returned to the Department of Public Safety in 2020 at the invitation of SCDPS Director Robert G. Woods IV to serve as the agency’s first chief of staff, overseeing administrative operations for the department.