John Baldwin (IA)

John Baldwin was appointed Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections on April 25, 2007. Mr. Baldwin, a Ft. Dodge native, has been with the Iowa Department of Corrections since 1977 and served as Deputy Director of Administration since 1983. Along with former DOC directors Hal Farrier and Paul Grossheim, he helped establish the Department of Corrections when they split from the Department of Human Services in 1983.

Some of his accomplishments have included:
• Department leader over multiple building and expansion projects including new facilities at Newton, Ft. Dodge and Clarinda.
• Development of Iowa Offender Based Management System (ICON)
• Appointed to the Criminal Justice Information System Committee to develop a sharing plan of all offender and court data among all criminal justice agencies in the state.
• Overseeing the two year Durrant study of the Department of Corrections.

John received his undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Iowa and an M.A. in Political Science and Public Administration from Iowa State University.

John is married with two grown sons.

Leann Bertsch (ND)

Governor John Hoeven appointed Leann K. Bertsch Director of the North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in July 2005, after serving as the Commissioner of the North Dakota Department of Labor from September 2004 through June 2005.

Prior to entering state government, Leann served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Burleigh County from August 1996 through August 2004. Leann worked as an attorney for Legal Assistance of North Dakota from 1992 through 1996.

Leann served for 21 years in the North Dakota National Guard as an Assistant Judge Advocate until her retirement in 2007. Leann holds a Bachelor of Science degree from North Dakota State University and a Juris Doctor from the University of North Dakota School of Law.

Greg Cox (NV)

James “Greg” Cox began his correctional career in November of 1981 as a Correctional Officer for the Illinois Department of Corrections. He received his Bachelors degree in Political Science from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he was awarded Dean’s List, in May of 1981.

During his career with the Illinois Department of Corrections, he was assigned to the Logan Correctional Center, the Lincoln Correctional Center, the Pontiac Correctional Center, and the Springfield Work Camp. During his twenty-two years there, he held the positions of Correctional Officer, Correctional Lieutenant, Correctional Captain, Major, Assistant Warden and he became a Warden in 1998. He retired from the Illinois system on June 30, 2003.

In December, 2003 Deputy Director Cox joined our Department as the Warden of Southern Desert Correctional Center. He became the Warden of High Desert State Prison on August 23, 2004.

In October of 2004, Director Crawford announced that she had selected Greg Cox to be the new Assistant Director of Operations, effective January 1, 2005.

Since his promotion he has implemented numerous facility enhancement programs and reporting systems for Nevada Wardens and their management teams. He strives for continuous improvement and encourages his staff to “think outside the box” and is always open to new ideas and suggestions.

Deputy Director Cox also has experience in the following areas: Media Coordinator, Liaison to the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, Liaison to the Nevada Statewide Evacuation Taskforce, Legislative presentations, and the administrator of a $31 million budget.

Furthermore, Deputy Director Cox is a member of the American Correctional Association, the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation, and the National Major Gangs Taskforce.

Additionally he has received Specialized Training from both the National Institute of Corrections and the Correctional Management Institute of Texas in Emergency Preparedness: Incident Command System for Corrections. He also attends the National Institute of Corrections Executive Forum for Deputy Directors every year and has received training from the American Correctional Association. Deputy Director Cox is a proponent of additional education and training for staff of all levels.

Daniel Heyns (MI)

In June of 2011, Governor Rick Snyder appointed Daniel H. Heyns the Director of the Michigan Department of Corrections. As Director, Dan is responsible for directing the administration of Michigan’s correctional system which includes the adult prison system, probation and parole supervision, the Parole Board, community corrections and all related administrative functions including a budget of approximately $1.9 billion. Dan has over 34 years experience in law enforcement. In addition to serving as the Sheriff of Jackson County for eight years, Dan held command positions in the road patrol, central dispatch and jail divisions. He received advanced training in traffic enforcement, special weapons and tactics, defensive driving, executive protection, police administration and emergency management.

Director Heyns is a 1985 graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from the University of Michigan (1973). He also received a Master of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Michigan State University (1977). He has served on the Boards of a number of non-profit organizations including Big Brothers/Big Sisters, the Y Center, the Rotary Foundation, Disability Connections and the Affordable Housing Commission. He has been active in his church and served on the Board of Trustees for the First United Methodist Church of Jackson. He is also past president of the Noon Rotary Club and a former board member for the Michigan Sheriffs’ Association.

Robert Houston (NE)

Director Houston was appointed as Director by Governor Dave Heineman effective March 14, 2005. Immediately preceding his appointment, he was Director of the Douglas County Department of Corrections having served in that position since April 2003. He started his state corrections career in 1974 as a counselor at the Nebraska State Penitentiary. In the years that followed, he held progressively more responsible positions throughout the Agency to include Unit Manager at the Lincoln Correctional Center, Unit Administrator at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, Associate Superintendent at the Omaha Correctional Center, Deputy Warden at the Penitentiary, Warden at three institutions: Omaha Correctional Center, Lincoln Correctional Center, and Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility; from September 2002 to April 2003 he served as the Assistant Director for Programs and Community Services. Mr. Houston serves on many boards and committees including the Jail Standards Board, the Crime Commission, the Community Corrections Council, the Capitol Facilities Planning Committee, and the Interstate Compact for Adult Offender Supervision. He is the Co-Founder and Member of the Omaha’s Metropolitan Chief’s Association, Board President of the University of Nebraska Omaha/Lincoln (UNO/UNL) Criminal Justice Education Fund within the University of Nebraska Foundation, past president of the United State’s Deputy Warden’s Association and the Nebraska Correctional Association. In 2009, Mr. Houston was Chairman of the Charitable Giving Campaign for Nebraska State Government. He has served both as an auditor for the American Correctional Association (ACA), as a consultant for the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) and was recently appointed as a Commissioner of ACA.
Mr. Houston has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska-Omaha and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska where he served as a part time instructor from 1984 to 2005. He was recognized by the UNO as the College of Continuing Studies Instructor of the Year in 1998 and by the College of Public Administration and Community Service (CPACS) for Excellence in Community Service 2002, the Alumni Community Service Award in 2009, in 2011 the Hubert Locke Award, and the 2012 UNO Alumni Citation Award Recipient.

Robert Lampert (WY)

Robert O. (Bob) Lampert is a Marine Corps veteran with more than 32 years of correctional experience, including military and state service. He came to Wyoming from the Oregon Department of Corrections, where he worked as superintendent of the largest correctional facility in the northwest and as assistant superintendent at Oregon’s only maximum-security institution. He began his position as director of the Wyoming Department of Corrections on November 10, 2003.

Before joining the Oregon prison system, Director Lampert retired from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice following a 20-year career that saw him rise through the ranks from correctional officer to senior warden. While in Texas, he worked at nine different facilities and was personally charged with developing and implementing several innovative programs for high-risk inmates.

During his first two years of service with the Wyoming Department of Corrections, Director Lampert was able to obtain nearly $139 million in funding for new construction and the expansion of existing facilities, the majority of which was spent on adding education, programming and treatment space. He was also successful in guiding the legislature through a site selection process and approval for a new 706-bed prison that is uniquely designed to house and meet the needs of inmates with the highest medical, mental health, substance abuse, sex offender, or other special treatment needs. He was also successful in increasing authorized staffing levels in the agency by 32%, gaining P.O.S.T. certification for correctional officers and supervisors, and obtaining statutory law enforcement retirement eligibility for parole agents.

Director Lampert was born in Newcastle, Wyoming and is a graduate of Steven’s High School in Rapid City, South Dakota. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in criminology and corrections, as well as a master’s of business administration, from Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, Texas. He also earned a doctorate of jurisprudence from the University of Houston and is licensed to practice law in Texas.

James Le Blanc (LA)

James M. Le Blanc was appointed Secretary of the Department of Public Safety and Corrections by Governor Bobby Jindal and officially took over the position in January 2008. Secretary Le Blanc served as Acting Chief of Operations for the Department from June 2007 until his appointment. He served as Warden of Dixon Correctional Institute from 1995 to 2007. Le Blanc has worked for the state and the Department for more than thirty-five (35) years, serving as Undersecretary (1992 – 1995) as well as interim Director of Probation and Parole (1998 – 1999).

Secretary Le Blanc received a B.A. in Business Administration from Southeastern Louisiana University in December 1972, with minors in Marketing and Accounting. He also proudly served his country as a member of the United States Army from July 1969 to May 1971. A Vietnam veteran, he was honorably discharged.

As Warden of Dixon Correctional Institute (DCI) for twelve years, Le Blanc oversaw many “firsts” for the department – the first Youthful Offender Program, the first dialysis unit in the prison system and the first Faith and Character Based Dormitory program. The National Association of Wardens and Superintendents (NAAWS) unanimously voted Le Blanc its “Warden of the Year” for 2007-2008. Le Blanc accepted the award in August 2008.

In accordance with Governor Jindal’s goals for the state’s justice system, Secretary Le Blanc stresses the fundamental importance of public safety while giving all citizens the opportunity to live productive lives by emphasizing “reentry” as a major factor of the Department’s mission. Perhaps Le Blanc’s most important contribution over the last several years is the establishment of reentry programming at DCI. Reentry is his passion. Establishing valuable, real-world vocational, educational and life skills training for offenders in all institutions is the number one goal for the next four years, aside from the core mission of public safety. Reducing Louisiana’s number one (in the world) incarceration rate is a tall order, but Le Blanc’s enthusiasm for seeing offenders succeed is all the motivation this leader needs. While the Department’s overall recidivism rate is 48%, DCI’s five-year rate (the measuring stick in corrections) is around 35%. Replicating DCI’s success at institutions statewide and at the community corrections level (Probation and Parole) will result in significant savings to the state as well as safer communities, reduced violence and fewer victims of crime.

Secretary Le Blanc works closely with the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, the Louisiana District Attorneys Association and the Louisiana District Judges Association to forge a productive partnership between state and local criminal justice systems.

Gary Maynard (MD)

Gary D. Maynard brings more than 30 years of extensive correctional administrative experience to the job of Secretary of Maryland’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services. Since 1987 he has served as the Director of the corrections systems of three other states – Iowa, South Carolina, and Oklahoma.
Mr. Maynard was previously President of the American Correctional Association. He is a member of the Association of State Correctional Administrators where he serves as Director of the Southern Region, Chairs the Clearinghouse Committee and serves on the Executive, Performance Measures and Reentry and Community Corrections Committees.
Mr. Maynard was a member for 32 years of the Army National Guard of the United States and served as the Adjutant General of the Oklahoma Army and Air National Guard. He retired in 1995 as a Brigadier General, U.S. Army.
A few of the awards and recognition received include:
• Courage and Valor Award, Oklahoma Department of Corrections, 1997
• Roy Wilkins Meritorious Service Award, NAACP, 1993
• Distinguished Alumni, East Central University, Ada, OK, 1994
• Hall of Fame, Field Artillery Officer Candidate School, Fort Sill, OK, 1993
Mr. Maynard holds a Masters Degree from Oklahoma State University and a Bachelor’s Degree from East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma.

He and his wife Donna live in Towson, Maryland.

Gary Mohr (OH)

Gary C. Mohr is director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC). Appointed by Governor John Kasich in January 2011, he is a 37-year corrections professional with a national reputation for innovative and efficient prison management. Throughout his career, Director Mohr has served in a number of corrections leadership positions in both public and private sectors.

In 2002, Director Mohr served as deputy director and superintendent of the Ohio Department of Youth Services. Previously, he was DRC deputy director for administration, as well as a deputy director in the agency’s Office of Prisons, where he supervised, mentored and advised a region of the state’s wardens. In addition, Director Mohr has served as warden at the Ross Correctional Institutional, Chillicothe Correctional Institution, and the Correction Reception Center.

From 1992-1994, Director Mohr served as director of the Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice, where he led the investigation into the cause of the 1993 Lucasville riot. Many of his team’s recommendations for preventive measures and improved conditions were incorporated into DRC’s standard operating policies and adopted by prison systems across the nation. He also chaired the Governor’s Task Force on Gun Violence.

In 2005, Director Mohr founded Mohr Correctional Insight, where he advised the Corrections Corporation of America in areas of staff leadership and development, and implementing unit management.

Director Mohr and his wife of 38 years have three adult children and four grandchildren. He is a resident of Chillicothe.

Brian Owens (GA)

Mr. Owens was appointed Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Corrections by Governor Sonny Perdue in January 2009. As prisons chief, he oversees the fifth largest prison system in the nation, 200,000 felons in prison or on probation, 15,000 employees, and an annual budget of over $1.2 billion.

Mr. Owens began his career in criminal justice as a Parole Officer in 1993. He served as the Assistant Chief Parole and Chief Parole Officer in Fulton County.

In 1999, Mr. Owens led the Department of Corrections’ Office of Planning and Analysis before accepting the position of Executive Assistant. He has held his most recent position as Assistant Commissioner since 2005. Prior to beginning is career in criminal justice, Mr. Owens served five years in the Air Force.

Mr. Owens is a graduate of University of Georgia, and, lives with his wife, Sheri, and son, Evan, and daughter, Erin, in Forsyth, Georgia.

Andrew Pallito (VT)

Andrew Pallito has been with the DOC since 2001. Until 2006, he served as the Management Executive and was responsible for the finance, information technology and training needs (including the Vermont Correctional Academy) of the Department. Since 2006, he has served as the Deputy Commissioner and has had responsibility for all DOC operational functions.

Pallito has worked for the State of Vermont since 1992 and holds a bachelor’s degree from Saint Peter’s College in New Jersey.

Joe Ponte (ME)

Governor Paul LePage swore in Joseph Ponte as Commissioner of Maine’s Department of Corrections on February 24, 2011. The Governor nominated Ponte, 64, of Pahrump, Nevada and he was unanimously voted in by the Senate on February 15.

Ponte’s previous post was as warden for Corrections Corporation of America-Nevada Southern Detention Center located in Pahrump, Nevada. Ponte began his career in 1969 as a correctional officer at the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, where he promoted through the ranks to become warden at two different facilities and was later named assistant deputy commissioner. Ponte has also successfully led two facilities through the American Correctional Association accreditation process

Brent Reinke (ID)

Brent Reinke has been the Director of the Department of Correction since January 1, 2007. Reinke oversees the department’s eight state prisons, one private prison, five community work centers and seven district probation and parole offices. The Department of Correction manages more than 20,000 offenders.

Director Reinke has chaired the Idaho Criminal Justice Commission since it was established by Executive Order in 2005. In his roles and Director and Commission Chair, Director Reinke has worked to develop a systems approach to managing criminal justice issues in Idaho more effectively.

Prior to his appointment to the Department of Correction, Director Reinke served as Director of the Idaho Department of Juvenile Corrections. Prior to his ten years of service at Juvenile Corrections, Reinke was a Twin Falls County Commissioner and business owner.

Current IDOC Accomplishments and Approach
Director Reinke is leading the Department of Correction to respond to this year’s budget cuts with a novel approach. Rather than cutting more than 100 staff to balance a 14% reduction, the department is retaining staff and committing all resources to maintaining no prison growth. The “No Growth in 2009” initiative means putting the right inmate in the right bed at the right time so they’re ready for parole in a timely manner. It’s working. The prison population is down nearly 100 inmates this fiscal year.

Focusing on efficiencies, moving inmates to lower cost beds and making certain treatment is available are all part of this effort.

Tom Roy (MN)

Governor Mark Dayton named Thomas Roy to lead the Department of Minnesota Department of Corrections on January 20, 2011.

Roy has spent his career in corrections, working with offenders, victims and communities. He previously served as Director of Arrowhead Regional Corrections, serving five Northern Minnesota counties.

Roy is a native of Northern Minnesota and a 1974 graduate of the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis where he received a B.A. in Political Science. Upon graduation he returned to the Arrowhead Region and began a career in probation and parole in Duluth as a pre-trial officer and in Carlton County, as an adult and juvenile officer and supervisor. In 1994 he was promoted to Chief Probation Officer for the five Arrowhead counties and in 2002 he took over as Executive Director for Arrowhead Regional Corrections. In addition to his work as a corrections administrator he has had involvement in numerous state and national initiatives and work groups, including: the American Probation and Parole Association as a Regional Representative and where he served on the Executive Board from 2007-2009. He currently is the chair of the Minnesota Interstate Compact Advisory Council which oversees the movement of convicted offenders to and from Minnesota.

Charles Ryan (AZ)

Charles L. Ryan has 30 years of experience in the field of Corrections, having served most recently as a corrections consultant on the national and international level. He has also served as Assistant Program Manager for the Department of Justice, a Director of the Arizona Department of Corrections, as Prison Warden and as Prison Administrator. He possesses in-depth, and hands-on institutional skills developed at entry-level, supervisory, administrative and executive level positions from minimum to super-maximum security.

Mr. Ryan has extensive experience in the development of correctional institutional policy including the formulation of the inmate classification system, the staffing and activation of various prison complexes and the development of budgetary requirements all presented to the executive and legislative branches of government. He has also been instrumental in developing operational processes designed to enhance inmate accountability and safer prisons and detention facilities. He has executive experience in human resources and inmate management processes at an agency employing over 10,000 personnel and the custody and control of more than 31,000 inmates

Derrick Schofield (TN)

Derrick D. Schofield was sworn in as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) on January 15, 2011 by Governor Bill Haslam. Commissioner Schofield has served as Assistant Commissioner and Chief of Staff of the Georgia Department of Corrections where he directed the day-today activities of the fifth largest prison system in the country. As Commissioner of the TDOC, Schofield oversees 14 prisons with an inmate population of over 20,000. The Department employs 5,440 professionals and has an operating budget of more than $662,000,000.

Commissioner Schofield has almost twenty years of correctional experience having served in various positions including Warden, Facility Operations Director and Director of Investigations and Compliance. Prior to being Commissioner, Schofield served in the United States Army from 1982-1989 where he reached the rank of Captain.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science from Fort Valley State University and a Master’s of Public Administration from Georgia’s Law Enforcement Command College and Columbus State University.

Schofield is a recipient of the Distinguished Social Sciences Alumnus Award from Fort Valley State University and recently served on a national committee on the incarceration of youthful offenders in adult prisons.

Luis Spencer (MA)

Luis S. Spencer was appointed as the Acting Commissioner for the Department of Correction in January 2011. He was named Commissioner June 5, 2011. Prior to this appointment he was serving as the Acting Deputy Commissioner of Prisons.

He started his career in the Massachusetts Department of Corrections in 1980 as a Correction Officer. In 1982, he joined the United States Air Force where he received an honorable discharge in 1985 as a Sergeant. Upon his return to the Department of Correction in 1985, he quickly advanced through the ranks as a Correction Officer, Sergeant, Captain, Director of Security, and Deputy Superintendent. In 1995, he was appointed Superintendent of MCI Lancaster, a Co-Ed minimum/pre-release facility. Following this assignment he was appointed as the Superintendent to three other facilities. After serving 7 years as a Superintendent of MCI Norfolk, he was promoted to Assistant Deputy Commissioner of the Southern Sector. His duties included oversight of the nine correctional facilities which include facilities such as the Bridgewater State Hospital, Massachusetts Treatment Center for the Sexually Dangerous, Massachusetts Alcohol and Substance Abuse Center, and MCI Cedar Junction.

He has enhanced his professional background by attending the National Institute of Correction’s Executive Excellence Program for up and coming leaders in corrections, the Senior Executives Program at Harvard University/J.F.K. School of Government, and Labor Relations from Massasoit Community College.

Kim Thomas (AL)

On January 17, 2011, Governor Robert Bentley appointed Mr. Kim T. Thomas as Acting Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Corrections. An interest in criminology and corrections led Kim to study at Marshall University in West Virginia where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in 1983. Upon graduation, he relocated to Alabama and began his career with the Alabama Department of Corrections. Following his completion at the Correctional Academy, he rose through the ranks as a Correctional Officer, Correctional Sergeant, and Classification Specialist at a maximum security facility. While employed with the Department, Commissioner Thomas attended the Birmingham School of Law and received his Juris Doctorate in 1993. In April 1995, he was given the honor of providing legal representation to the Alabama Department of Corrections as an Assistant General Counsel. For the past six years, under Commissioners Donal Campbell and Richard Allen, he has served as General Counsel to the Department.

A.T. Wall (RI)

Prior to this appointment Mr. Wall served in the capacity of Assistant Director for a number of years. In this position he was responsible for the central management of Departmental operations and functioned as the Director’s second-in-command.

Mr. Wall’s career in corrections began in 1976 as a Probation Officer. After his graduation from Law School, he served as a Prosecutor in the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office and then joined the Vera Institute of Justice, where he was Director of a sentencing project for chronic offenders convicted by the New York City Courts. A native of Rhode Island, he returned to his home state in 1985 and worked in the Governor’s Office on policy issues in the areas of corrections and criminal justice. He was tapped by the Director of Corrections to join the Department in 1987 as Assistant Director. Mr. Wall was named Interim Director in 1999 and became Director in 2000.

Mr. Wall received a Bachelors of Arts Degree from Yale University in 1975 and his Juris Doctor from Yale Law School in 1980.