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.

Robert Bayer

Theodis Beck

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.

Robert Brown Jr.

Harold Clarke (VA)

Harold Clarke grew up in the Canal Zone in Panama. After college in Nebraska, he joined the Nebraska Department of Corrections in 1974 as a counselor. He rose through the department, becoming warden at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in 1987 and the Director of Corrections in 1990, becoming the first employee promoted from within the agency to that position.

In August of 1990, he was appointed Director of the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, a position he held until 2005, when he began his role as Secretary of the Washington State Department of Corrections. Last November (2007), Clarke took on yet another new role, this time on the East coast as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Correction. On November 15, 2010, Harold was named the Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections.

He is currently serving as the immediate past president of the American Correctional Association and on the Executive Committee of ASCA. He is a former member of the Doane College Board of Trustees, former board chair of Lincoln Public Schools Foundation Board of Directors. He also served as president of the Association of State Correctional Administrators. His awards include the Legacy Award from the Association of Women Executives in Corrections in 2007, the Pioneer Human Services Partner of the Year Award in 2006, the Michael Francke Award from the Association of State Correctional Administrators in 1997, the Citizen of the Year Award from the Nebraska Association of Substance Abuse Directors in 1996 and the Dedicated Correctional Service Award in 1994.

Harold Clarke was appointed by Governor Robert F. McDonnell as Director of the Virginia Department of Corrections effective November 15, 2010, overseeing a Department comprised of three major operational areas: Operations, Community and Administration. At the time of his appointment, the Agency had 11,602 employees across the Commonwealth. As of December 31, 2010, the Department has 29 major institutions, 8 field units and 7 work centers overseeing 31,900 inmates, and 7 detention and 4 diversion centers as well as 43 Probation Districts overseeing 59,517 probationers.

Tom Clements (CO)

Tom Clements was named Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections effective February 2, 2011. Clements was previously the Director of the Division of Adult Institutions for the Missouri Department of Corrections and is responsible for 21 adult prisons throughout the State of Missouri. He was appointed to the position in October 2007. Mr. Clements has over 30 years of experience with the Missouri Department of Corrections. He began his career as a Probation & Parole Officer in St. Louis and has served as a Unit Supervisor, Regional Administrator, Chief State Supervisor for the Division of Probation and Parole, and Deputy Director for the Division of Adult Institutions. Mr. Clements has a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the University of Missouri-Columbia.

Carl Danberg (DE)

Carl C. Danberg is the Commissioner of Correction for the State of Delaware. He was nominated by Governor Ruth Ann Minner, and unanimously confirmed by the Delaware Senate to supervise the state’s unified correctional system. Previously, Mr. Danberg was the Attorney General of the State of Delaware from December 2005 to January 2007. He was appointed Attorney General to fulfill the unexpired term of his predecessor. Prior to his appointment he served as Chief Deputy Attorney General.

Mr. Danberg was the Deputy Principal Assistant to the Commissioner of the Delaware Department of Correction for over eight years, handling external affairs. He was responsible for community, legislative and media relations, managing victim services, budgeting and drafting legislation as well as training and advising Correction staff.

Prior to joining the Department of Correction, Carl was a Deputy Attorney General representing Corrections in State and Federal Courts and advising on administrative matters. Early in his career, Danberg worked on the Senate and Presidential campaigns of United States Senator Joseph R. Biden, Jr.

Danberg is a Major in the Judge Advocate General’s Corp of the Delaware Army National Guard. He is an adjunct professor at the University of Delaware, his alma mater, teaching constitutional law of criminal procedure.

Carl is a graduate of the Widener University School of Law. He serves on the Boards of Mount Aviat Academy in Childs, MD and the St. Patrick’s Day Society which supports the St. Patrick’s Senior Center in Wilmington. He serves as a Special Minister of the Eucharist at St. Johns/Holy Angels Catholic Church in Newark and is a member of the Knights of Columbus.

Carl is married to Barbara Snapp Danberg, a fellow attorney. Together they have two daughters and reside in Newark.

Christopher Epps (MS)

Commissioner Christopher B. Epps was appointed to his current post by Democratic Governor Ronnie Musgrove in August of 2002 and was reappointed by Republican Governor Haley Barbour on January 13, 2004. Epps, honored as the longest serving Commissioner in the history of the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC), has held virtually every management and supervisory position in the agency since beginning his career with MDOC in 1982 as a correctional officer.

During his term as Commissioner, Chris Epps has paved the way for the agency to move forward. He appointed the first female Deputy Commissioner in corrections and the first female superintendent for a state prison in the history of Mississippi; has successfully raised the salaries of all MDOC employees; has significantly increased the number of inmates graduating in ABE, Vocational School, and Alcohol and Drug programs; and has led the agency’s effort to achieve full ACA accreditation, becoming the 14th state to receive the ACA Eagle Award. Commissioner Epps received an honorable discharge from the Mississippi Army National Guard after attaining the rank Lieutenant Colonel.

Currently serving as president-elect of the American Correctional Association and immediate past-president of the Southern States Correctional Association, Commissioner Epps also serves on the Emergency Response Interoperability Center Public Safety Advisory Committee for the Federal Communications Commission and the National Board of Directors for the Correctional Peace Officers Foundation. Epps is a graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia with a Master of Arts Degree in Guidance and Counseling. He received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education from Mississippi Valley State University.

Hal Farrier

Mike Ferriter (MT)

Mike Ferriter, a corrections veteran with over 30 years in the profession, became director for the Montana Department of Corrections in July 2006 upon appointment by Gov. Brian Schweitzer. After serving as administrator of the Adult Community Corrections Division since 1995, Ferriter oversees an agency with 1,200 employees, an annual budget of about $135 million and responsibility for more than 12,000 offenders.

Ferriter, 56, began his corrections career as a Youth Court officer in 1977 and later was parole officer, director of the Missoula Prerelease Center, probation and parole chief, and chief of the Community Corrections Bureau in the Corrections Department.

During the past decade, Ferriter has helped direct the department’s growing emphasis on community corrections programs. He has played a significant role in the addition of hundreds of prerelease center beds, significant increases in probation and parole officers, and implementation of two six-month intensive DUI treatment programs in Warm Springs and Glendive, with an 82 percent success rate.

Ferriter was instrumental in launching the Sanction, Treatment, Assessment, Revocation and Transition center at Warm Springs in late 2005. This 80-bed facility has been able to divert from prison 77 percent of offenders admitted to the program since it started. The program handles offenders who have committed serious violations of the conditions of their parole, conditional release, prerelease center placement or probation.

Ferriter also oversaw establishment of prerelease centers in Helena and Bozeman, the creation of meth treatment centers in Lewistown and Boulder, opening of the Riverside Youth Correctional Center in Boulder, creation of a juvenile female transition program, birth of the Juvenile Delinquency Intervention Program, and relocation of the boot camp.

He was involved in establishing peace officers certified training for probation and parole officers, obtaining authority for officers to carry firearms, and installation of parole officers in every adult correctional facility.

A Butte native, Ferriter graduated from Butte Central High School and earned a bachelor’s degree in vocational rehabilitation from Eastern Montana College – now Montana State University-Billings – in 1977. He also has completed all the course work for a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Montana.

He is a member of the national Interstate Compact Commission, a member of the National Institute of Corrections-sponsored Community Corrections Executive Network, past member of the American Probation and Parole Officers Association, a regional field training coordinator for the NIC, a member of the Governor’s Homeless Council, and an ethics instructor for probation and parole officers and boot camp drill instructors at the Montana Law Enforcement Academy.

Ferriter and his wife, Betty, have five children: Erin, Mark, Colleen, Mike and Kevin.

Larry Fields

Brian Fischer (NY)

Brian Fischer was appointed Acting Commissioner of the New York State Department of Correctional Services (now NY Department of Corrections and Community Supervision) by
Governor Eliot Spitzer effective January 1, 2007. The state Senate unanimously confirmed him on March 12, 2007.

Mr. Fischer leads the nation’s fourth-largest state prison system. He oversees an agency that employs 31,000 workers and houses approximately 63,500 inmates in 69 correctional facilities plus the 850-bed Willard Drug Treatment Campus.

Mr. Fischer began his career with the New York State Narcotic Addiction Control Commission in 1968, working as an Aftercare (Parole) Officer. In 1975, he transferred into the Department of Correctional Services with the title of Assistant Director, Drug Treatment Center. During his initial years with the Department he served as a Deputy Superintendent in several correctional facilities including the opening of the Downstate Correctional Facility which provided “separation services” to prepare inmates for their release.

From 1981 until 1991 Mr. Fischer was involved in several projects that involved regionalization, he worked on an inter-governmental agency task force, and was the director of the Department’s Division of Support Operations in Albany.

In 1991 he was appointed as the Superintendent of the Queensboro Correctional Facility and a Supervising
Superintendent. While the
Superintendent position called for coordinating the development of the inmate work release program and the conversion of Queensboro into a pre-release, re-entry facility, the Supervising Superintendent position
required his oversight of daily operations of seven prisons in the New York City area.

Mr. Fischer was appointed Superintendent of the Sing Sing Correctional Facility in 2000 while continuing to serve as the
Supervising Superintendent for the state prisons located in New York City. While at Sing Sing, he was twice nominated by the former Commissioner for the Warden of the Year Award with the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents, and will be awarded that honor this summer at the American Correctional Association conference.

In addition to his positions as the Sing Sing Superintendent and a Supervising Superintendent, Mr. Fischer was involved in a number of presentations and task forces dealing with issues related to correctional management and programmatic
initiatives. They include a “Tools Needed to Succeed” presentation, “New Horizon in Re-Entry” panel speaker, Rockland County Jail Advisory Committee on Mental Heath member, “Community Orientation Preparation Program” presentation, opening remarks for the “Collaboration to Strengthen Transitional Planning for HIV nmates,” panel moderator for “Changing the Mission of Corrections; Re-Thinking Hiring and Promotion Standards in Corrections,” panel member for the “Practical Issues in the Relations Between Wardens and Corrections Counsel,” and a panel presenter for “Meshing Security and Program: Community-Based Organizations and Corrections.”

Mr. Fischer received recognition by a number of community groups and programs including, The Criminal Justice Award, in Honor of Benjamin Ward, presented by the NYS Minorities in Criminal Justice, 2006.

Recognized by the NY Theological Seminary for special support of their Master’s Degree in Professional Studies
Program at Sing Sing, the New York Theological Seminary’s 2006 Urban Angel Award Banquet.

Scholarship in the name of Superintendent Brian Fischer for former inmates who have used their education earned at Sing Sing in helping formerly incarcerated persons. Awarded by Hudson Link for Higher Education, 2006.

Mr. Fischer has been an adjunct professor at both Pace University and John Jay College of Criminal Justice. He is also Vice President of the New York Corrections Historical Society, a member of the American Correctional Association, the North American Wardens and Superintendents Association, the New York Corrections and Youth Services Association and until his appointment, the New York State Association of Correctional Facility Superintendents.

Mr. Fischer is a native of Rockland County and has a wife and two grown sons. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in
Psychology and a Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling.

Robert Houston (NE)

Governor Dave Heineman appointed Robert P. Houston as the Director of the Department of Correctional Services (NDCS) on March 14, 2005. Director Houston started his correctional career as a Senior Counselor at the Nebraska State Penitentiary in November 1974. He held progressively more responsible positions throughout the Agency in the thirty years that followed to include Unit Manager at the Lincoln Correctional Center, Unit Administrator at the Nebraska State Penitentiary, Associate Superintendent at the Omaha Correctional Center, and Deputy Warden at the Penitentiary. He was the Warden at three institutions—the Omaha Correctional Center, Lincoln Correctional Center, and Nebraska Correctional Youth Facility—and served from September 2002 to April 2003 as the Assistant Director of Programs and Community Services. For nearly two years before his appointment to his current position, he worked as the Director of the Douglas County (Nebraska) Department of Corrections.

Director Houston is a Certified Auditor for the American Correctional Association and a Consultant for the National Institute of Corrections. Mr. Houston has served on many boards and committees to include 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 UNO/UNL Criminal Justice Education Fund, past president of the United State’s Deputy Warden’s Association and the Nebraska Correctional Association. Director Houston taught Criminal Justice at the University of Nebraska – Omaha/Lincoln for twenty years. He earned 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.

Nicholas Hun

Justin Jones (OK)

Justin has 34 years of criminal justice experience. He has served in numerous capacities since beginning his career with the Oklahoma Department of Corrections in September 1977, to include Probation and Parole Officer; Warden; Regional Director of Institutions and Deputy Director of the Division of Community Corrections. He was appointed Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections in 2005.
Justin serves on numerous boards and association committees. Below are just a few of the organizations which he serves:
Reentry Committee Chair for the Association of Correctional Administrators
Board of Directors for Council of State Governments Justice Center
Board of Directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Oklahoma
Board of Directors for Oklahoma Employees Credit Union
Board of Directors for Military Thunderbird Youth Academy
Commissioner for Correctional Accreditation for the American Correctional Association

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.

Bruce Lemmon (IN)

Governor Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. appointed Bruce Lemmon to be Commissioner of the Indiana Department of Correction effective January 17, 2011.

Before being appointed to Commissioner, Bruce Lemmon served as the Superintendent of the Putnamville Correctional Facility in Greencastle, IN. While in his post as Superintendent, he made many improvements to the facility, such as doubling the size of both the CLIFF Unit and the PLUS Unit, initiating a recycling program, and establishing the Park and Furniture Program, Farm Fresh Dinner, and the Inmate to Work Mate Program. Commissioner Lemmon also increased the amount of jobs for the offender population during his tenure at Putnamville.

Lemmon began his career as a recreation coordinator in 1976 at the Rockville Correctional Facility. He has served in various capacities within DOC during his 35-year career including Supervisor of Work Release Services, Assistant Superintendent of the Indiana Girls School, Regional Director of Adult Operations, Superintendent of the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility and Deputy Commissioner. Lemmon also served as interim DOC Commissioner on two occasions.

Commissioner Lemmon is a veteran having served his country in the United States Army and was honorably discharged as a Specialist 5. He is an auditor for the American Correctional Association (ACA), and he holds a membership with the American Correctional Association (ACA), Indiana Correctional Association (ICA) lifetime member, National Major Gang Task Force (NMGTF), and the Certified Correctional Executive (CCE). Lemmon received the IDOC’s Distinguished Service Award in 2009.

Lemmon earned a bachelor’s degree from Indiana State University. He and his wife, Cindy, reside in Clay County. Together they have four children, Dustin, Brittany, Alexa, and Makenzie.

Brad Livingston (TX)

Brad Livingston has served as the Executive Director of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) since November 1, 2004. In this role, he oversees the operations of one of the largest governmental entities of its kind, with approximately 40,000 employees statewide. TDCJ has oversight responsibilities that include state correctional facilities, parole and probation. Brad reports to the Texas Board of Criminal Justice, which is chaired by Oliver Bell, an appointee of Governor Rick Perry. In July of 2007 and again in June 2009, the Texas Public Employees Association presented him with the Agency Administrator of the Year award for his effectiveness in this role.

Brad joined TDCJ in October 1997 as the Deputy Director of the Financial Services Division. He was appointed Chief Financial Officer in June 2001 and assumed broad responsibility for the agency’s day-to-day business, fiscal, and administrative operations; he also had specific oversight authority for the Facilities, Information Technology and Manufacturing and Logistics Divisions. Brad continued as the agency’s CFO while serving as the Interim Executive Director for nine months.

Early in his tenure at TDCJ, Brad was a key member of the senior executive team within the agency. He provided direct fiscal leadership as well as being heavily involved in the day-to-day executive decision making process involving the wide range of operational and strategic issues inherent to a large criminal justice agency.

Brad has a broad range of governmental experience. Prior to joining TDCJ, he served in Governor Bush’s Administration as a Group Director in the Governor’s Office of Budget and Planning. In this capacity, he played a key role in developing, as well as presenting the Governor’s budget proposal to the Legislature. Before joining the Governor’s Office, Brad worked for the Legislative Budget Board, where he provided fiscal analysis and testimony, to the Texas Legislature, on budgetary and programmatic issues of various state agencies, including TDCJ.

Brad has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Political Science, with honors from Metropolitan State College of Denver, and holds a Master of Public Affairs (MPA) from the University of Texas at Austin.

George Lombardi (MO)

Missouri Governor Jeremiah W. (Jay) Nixon nominated George A. Lombardi to the Director of the Department of Corrections on December 18, 2008. The nomination was confirmed on January 29, 2009. Lombardi became the 6th Director to lead the Department since Corrections became its own cabinet-level state agency in 1981.

Mr. Lombardi previously served as the Director of the Division of Adult Institutions for 18 years. He was responsible for 21 adult correctional institutions throughout Missouri encompassing 8,600+ staff and 30,500 inmates. He is a past Warden of two correctional institutions and a 33 year veteran of the Missouri Department of Corrections. Mr. Lombardi served on the Board of Directors and as Chairman of the Criminal Justice Task Force for the Missouri Association of Social Welfare. He is a past President of the Missouri Corrections Association and has served as an auditor for the Commission of Accreditation for Corrections. He has lectured on criminal justice matters at the American Corrections Association, Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, colleges and universities and civic organizations. He has also co-authored two articles:

“Mainstreaming Death-Sentenced Inmates”
“Peer Interaction Training for Correctional Administrators”

Mr. Lombardi organized the first annual National Conference on Prisoner Reentry with Central Missouri State University. He was recognized at the December, 2002 Commencement at the Central Missouri State University with a Distinguished Alumnus Award. Mr. Lombardi has a B.S. and M.S. in psychology from the Central Missouri State University.

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.

Kenneth McGinnis

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.

Alfred Murphy

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.

Tom Patterson (UT)

Thomas E. Patterson was appointed Executive Director, Utah Department of Corrections by Governor Jon M. Huntsman, Jr. on January 5, 2007. Utah Senate confirmed his appointment on January 16, 2007.

Prior to his work with Utah Department of Corrections, Patterson served as the Utah Sentencing Commission within the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice (CCJJ) Executive Director.

Tom received his undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University. Tom went on to Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas where he obtained his juris doctorate degree. Tom’s career prior to CCJJ includes serving as Rush County Attorney (Kansas): Chief Administrative Law Judge and legal counsel with the Utah Department of Workforce Services; and Director of the Utah Sentencing Commission.

Patterson and his wife, Reta, live with their five children in Alpine, Utah.

Director Patterson states, “I am humbled by the trust the Governor is showing in my abilities. I truly look forward to this new challenge and working with the dedicated men and women at the Department of Corrections.”

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

Michael Quinlan

John Rees

John D. Rees began his career in Corrections as a caseworker at
the Kentucky State Reformatory in LaGrange in 1969. Three years later,
he was promoted to the position of director of the Division of Special
Institutions with the former Kentucky Bureau of Corrections. He served
in several capacities within the Kentucky Corrections system until 1976
when he left the state to work for the Oklahoma Department of
Corrections. He returned to Kentucky four years later to be warden at
KSR, a position he held until 1986.
From 1986 to 1998, he worked for Corrections Corporation of
America, a private correctional management firm. He managed
institutions in New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Tennessee before
becoming vice president of business development. He most recently has
worked as a private consult providing services for corrections and
criminal justice administration.
A native of Ft. Mitchell, Ky., Rees received his bachelor’s degree
in sociology and political science from the University of Kentucky and
his master’s degree in criminology and correctional administration from
Florida State University.
Rees has maintained professional memberships with state and
national correctional associations and in 2003, was named a Certified
Corrections Executive by the American Correctional Association.
He is married to Sue Nofsinger Rees and the couple has two adult
sons, Brennan and Christopher.

Evelyn Ridley-Turner

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.

Jim Rubenstein (WV)

Jim Rubenstein was appointed Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections in June 2001 by Governor Bob Wise after serving as Acting Commissioner since February 2001. Jim was re-appointed as Commissioner of the West Virginia Division of Corrections by Governor Joe Manchin, III on March 2, 2005 and is tasked with the responsibility to oversee the day to day operations of the Division of Corrections throughout the entire State of West Virginia.

Jim Rubenstein has over two-decades in the corrections profession. Mr. Rubenstein began his career with Corrections in 1973 as a Correctional Officer at the Forestry Camp for Boys. He also served as a Recreation Coordinator, a Correctional Officer, and a Counselor at the WV Industrial School for Boys. Mr. Rubenstein went on to serve as a Corrections Case Manager and Corrections Case Manager at Pruntytown Correctional Center. In 1994, Mr. Rubenstein was named Superintendent of Anthony Correctional Center. In late 1998, he was named Deputy Warden of St. Marys Correctional Center and was instrumental in the conversion of that facility from a state hospital to a medium security correctional institution. On June 1, 1999, Mr. Rubenstein was appointed to the position of Deputy Commissioner of Institutional Operations and served in that position until his appointment as Commissioner.

His qualifications and skills offer him a unique opportunity to bring insight and experience to the DOC. His career in corrections has prepared him with the management abilities, training and development skills, and interpersonal communications expertise necessary to promote programs, technology and training within the DOC.

Commissioner Rubenstein is affiliated with the following organizations: Member of the Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA), member of the American Correctional Association (ACA), Secretary for the Regional Jail and Correctional Facility Authority Board, member and former President of the WV Association of Correctional Employees (WV ACE), and member of Southern States Correctional Association (SSCA).

Ted Sakai

Charles Samuels (FBOP)

Charles E. Samuels, Jr., was appointed as Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons on December 21, 2011. As Assistant Director, Mr. Samuels directed all critical Bureau inmate management and program functions in the following areas: correctional services, security and emergency planning, witness security and victim witness operations, intelligence gathering and sharing, counter-terrorism initiatives, designations and sentence computations, gang management, inmate skills development and reentry initiatives, unit and case management, female offender programs, delivery of mental health and religious services, and sex offender certification reviews.
Charles Samuels began his career with the Bureau as a Correctional Officer in March 1988. Subsequently, he was selected for positions of increasing responsibility, including Case Manager trainee at FCI Talladega, Case Manager at USP Atlanta, Community Corrections trainee and Community Corrections Oversight Specialist at FCI Phoenix, Unit Manager at FCI Dublin, Program Review Division Examiner in Central Office, and Regional Correctional Programs Administrator and Executive Assistant for the Northeast Region. Mr. Samuels has served as Associate Warden at FCIs Otisville and Beckley, Ombudsman in Central Office, and Warden at FCIs Manchester and Fort Dix, prior to being named Senior Deputy AD of the Correctional Programs Division. He assumed his current position in January 2011.
In 2001, Mr. Samuels was selected Associate Warden of the Year for the Mid-Atlantic Region for his many contributions to correctional administration. In June 2006, he was appointed to the Senior Executive Service while serving as Warden at FCI Fort Dix.
Mr. Samuels is a native of Birmingham, Alabama. He received his B.S. in Social and Behavioral Sciences in 1987 from the University of Alabama (Birmingham). In addition, he graduated from the Harvard University Executive Education Program for senior managers in government in August 2007.

Wayne Scott

Richard Seiter

Dr. William Sondervan

Luis Spencer (MA)

Luis S. Spencer was appointed as the Acting Commissioner for the Department of Correction in January 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.

LaDonna Thompson (KY)

LaDonna H. Thompson, an 18-year veteran of the Kentucky Department of Corrections, made history when Gov. Steve Beshear named her commissioner, marking the first time a woman has been chosen for the top DOC post.
Thompson, 45, has spent the last two and a half years as Deputy Commissioner of the agency. While serving as a project manager, she was instrumental in implementing a statewide offender management system – a comprehensive project that combined three large, outdated systems to allow for a seamless flow of information.
As one of the original correctional officers at the Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex, Thompson moved on to hold a position at Kentucky State Reformatory and Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in LaGrange. She made her way up through the ranks, working with the VINE program (Victim Information and Notification Everyday), inmate classification and population management divisions.
During her career in Corrections, Thompson received numerous awards, including three honors for distinguished service to the department. A recent graduate of the Leadership Kentucky class of 2007, her awards also include two for recommendations that resulted in fiscal savings for the Commonwealth. Thompson was a 2007 recipient of the “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” Award presented by the National Center for Women and Policing, and was selected as a participant in the 2006 NIC Executive Leadership for Women class.
A graduate of Morehead State University, Thompson received her degree in psychology and sociology. She and her husband Brian, a detective with the Louisville Metro Police Department, live in Bullitt County with their two sons, Seth and Christian.

George Vose

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.

Odie Washington

Reggie Wilkinson

Dr. Reginald A. Wilkinson has been employed with the State of Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) since September 1973. He has served in a variety of positions including superintendent of the Corrections Training Academy, warden of the Dayton Correctional Institution, and deputy director of prisons – south region. Former Governor George Voinovich appointed Wilkinson DRC director in February 1991. Governor Bob Taft reappointed him director in January 1999.
Director Wilkinson’s academic background includes a B.A. degree in political science and a M.A. degree in higher education administration, both from The Ohio State University. He was also awarded a doctor of education degree (Ed.D.) from the University of Cincinnati.
Dr. Wilkinson is President and Executive Director of the International Association of Reentry. He is also Past President of both the Association of State Correctional Administrators and the American Correctional Association. He is Vice Chair for North America of the International Corrections and Prisons Association. Wilkinson is, additionally, Director of the ICPA Centre for Exchanging Correctional Best Practices.
Wilkinson has authored numerous journal articles on a variety of correctional topics. He is editor of two books: Correctional Best Practices: Directors’ Perspectives and Best Reentry Practices: Directors’ Perspectives. As ACA president, he commissioned the publication of Best Practices: Excellence in Corrections. Dr. Wilkinson has written chapters in a number of books, a few of which include: Ohio Crime, Ohio Justice; Prison and Jail Administration: Practice and Theory; Frontiers of Justice, Volume 2; and The Full Spectrum: Essays on Staff Diversity in Corrections.
Director Wilkinson has, moreover, received many awards from a variety of organizations. A few of the associations he has received honors from include the National Governors’ Association, the American Correctional Association, the Association of State Correctional Administrators, the International Community Corrections Association, the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice, the Volunteers of America, the Ohio Community Corrections Organization, and the Ohio Correctional and Court Services Association. He has also been appointed for a three-year term to the National Institute of Corrections Advisory Board by U. S. Attorney General John Ashcroft.

William Wrenn (NH)

William L. Wrenn was appointed Commissioner of the New Hampshire Department of Corrections in December 2005. His law enforcement career spans more than thirty years, all of that with the Hampton, New Hampshire, Police Department. He served as the town’s chief of police from 1995 until 2005.

The Commissioner was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement from Northeastern University and a Juris Doctorate from the Massachusetts School of Law. He is also a graduate of the New Hampshire Police Academy and the FBI National Academy.

Commissioner Wrenn resides in Hampton with his wife and family