Gary Maynard began working in corrections, in 1970, at a prison in his home state of Oklahoma. He holds a masters’ degree in psychology and was close to earning his Ph.D. in psychology, but he found his work in corrections to be very fulfilling and decided to make a career of it. He went on to become Warden of the Joseph Harp Correctional Center and later Warden at the State’s maximum-security prison, Oklahoma State Penitentiary. In 1987, he was appointed the Director of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections. He also served as Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections and Director of the South Carolina Department of Corrections. Maryland is the fourth state in which Secretary Maynard has led the corrections department. He is currently the Director of ASCA’s Southern Region, and serves on the Executive Committee of the Association of State Corrections Administrators.

Since 1987, Secretary Maynard has been a very active member of ASCA. Secretary Maynard’s strong leadership, within ASCA, is a testament to his devoted and dedicated service to the Association. He has prioritized the identification of innovative corrections practices and has actively shared them with his peers across the country through ASCA.

Secretary Maynard has demonstrated outstanding leadership to the State of Maryland. Since his appointment in January 2007, the Department has made tremendous strides after some very difficult years. He has focused on improving safety and security – both inside the prisons as well as in the community – and identified drug treatment, education and health care as building blocks for inmates’ ultimate success.

Gary Maynard’s accomplishments in the field of corrections, his outstanding service to the state and the local community, active participation in ASCA, and his keen sense of justice, strong work ethic, and unparalleled integrity illustrate how truly deserving he is to be honored with the 2012 Michael Francke Award.

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