The appointment of a new corrections commissioner presents both significant risks and opportunities for significant change. A transition is a process and not a distinct event. Its four phases include selection and contracting, entry, initiatives, and pattern setting. The management of entry phase issues can be aided by strategies which build a new commissioner's personal capacity by bringing external resources and expertise to the situation. The commissioners and secretaries in other States can provide these resources and expertise to function as a support network and as a source of consultation on specific issues. The new commissioner can also use several internal activities, including precedent-setting discussions, agenda-setting workshops, and issue-focused workshops, to build overall department capacity. Task forces are another common device in most transitions to test staff abilities and gather information about critical issues. Use of these strategies help balance the pressures created during the four transition phases. Recommendations for research, notes, and 21 references are provided.