ASCA's officers consist of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, and Past President. The President, Vice President, and Treasurer are elected by the membership to serve two-year terms. Every two years, or more frequently if necessary, the Nominating Committee meets and proposes to the membership a slate of officers for their consideration. A ballot is then sent to all members that includes the names of the candidates, along with the option of voting for any other member for any of the offices being filled. In the event the President should leave the office prior to the expiration of his/her term, the Vice President assumes the Presidency and the Nominating Committee preposes a candidate to fill the position of the Vice President and the Treasurer, should the proposed Vice President currently be the Treasurer. The membership then casts their ballots accordingly. The office of the Past President is filled by the member who, among all the members who had been President, was most recently the President. Below are pictures of the officers and their bios.
ASCA Officers
The ASCA Membership has unanimously voted to reelect the following ASCA Officers for the 2012 - 2014 term of office:
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A.T. Wall (RI) |
Chris Epps (MS) |
Leann Bertsch (ND) |
The officers will serve two-year terms beginning on July 23rd at the conclusion of the Summer Business Meeting in Denver, CO.
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A.T. Wall, |
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. |
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Chris Epps, |
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. |
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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. |
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Harold Clarke,
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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. |
Latest President's Message from Corrections Directions
President A.T. Wall's message for the fall edition of the Corrections Directions draws on his recent experience at the Northeast Region meeting and the common bond held among the small contingent of Correctional Administrators. Click here to read President Wall's Fall 2012 Corrections Directions newsletter message.