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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.