WHAT IS THE WARDEN EXCHANGE?
President Nixon's "hatchet man" Chuck Colson was incarcerated for Watergate-related crimes and experienced firsthand the despair of those behind bars. In 1976, he was inspired to found Prison Fellowship with the mission to help restore lives and families broken by crime and incarceration. Now, with nearly 40 years of access to hundreds of prisons, Prison Fellowship leads the way in programs that help prisoners become productive members of society upon release, ultimately creating safer communities for us all.
Prison Fellowship's innovative program, the Warden Exchange (WE), focuses on the opportunity that wardens have to influence the culture of their prisons. Prison Fellowship's research, including studies by George Mason University and the University of Georgia with over 200 corrections experts, shows that wardens hold the key to the moral rehabilitation of the prisoners under their charge.
The Warden Exchange convenes wardens, deputy wardens, associate wardens, top corrections specialists and subject matter experts in an in-depth, nine-month leadership training program that examines and applies best practices for creating safer and more rehabilitative prisons. Relying on critical thinking, dynamic conversations, and transformational methodologies, the Warden Exchange immerses participants in paradigm-changing sessions. At the core is a belief that allowing for effective moral rehabilitation of prisoners can activate real change in individuals and break the cycle of crime and recidivism.
In the future, Prison Fellowship hopes to support even more wardens as they become transformational leaders who create safe places of rehabilitation for prisoners. Provided additional funding is available for the program, Prison Fellowship aims to accelerate prison culture transformation in hundreds of prisons in the coming years.
ABOUT THE PROGRAM
- A revolutionary nine-month training program that equips wardens with transformational leadership skills.
- Weekly dynamic discussions via live video conferences for wardens with facilitators such as business CEOs, Navy Seal Commanders, technology gurus, top corrections experts, academics from Stanford, Harvard, University of Virginia, and others who interact and share their experiences and ideas on transformational leadership, eliminating prison violence, fostering successful reentry and related topics.
- Three in-person residencies in different parts of the country, in which wardens engage in collaborative group exercises and intensive hands-on sessions.
- Inspiration from top corrections experts, including the WE Advisory Panel, on effective moral rehabilitation approaches that transform the hearts and minds of prisoners.
- Coaching to create a three-to-five year action plan to systemically transform their prisons.
LEANN BERTSCH
Director, North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, North Dakota
FULL PROFILE
LEANN BERTSCH
Director, North Dakota Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, North Dakota
Leann K. Bertsch was appointed Director of the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation by Governor Hoeven in July 2005, after serving as Commissioner of the Department of Labor. Prior to her appointment, Bertsch served as an Assistant State’s Attorney for Burleigh County, North Dakota, for eight years. Bertsch worked as a staff attorney for Legal Assistance of North Dakota from 1992-1996, where she assisted low income and elderly citizens of North Dakota with public assistance programs, housing issues and family law issues. Bertsch also serves in the North Dakota National Guard and is currently assigned to Joint Force Headquarters as an Assistant Judge Advocate. A native of Hillsboro, North Dakota, Bertsch attended the University of North Dakota School of Law and received a J.D. in 1991, and attended North Dakota State University and earned a B.S. degree in 1988. She resides in Bismarck with her husband, Rick Volk, and their two children.
IAN BICKERS
Deputy Director, Education, Employment and Industries Group, Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, England
FULL PROFILEIAN BICKERS
Deputy Director, Education, Employment and Industries Group, Her Majesty’s Prison & Probation Service, England
Ian joined the Prison Service in January 2004, bringing 20 years of private sector business experience with him. He has extensive experience working with all types of offenders across seven different prisons, from high security to the open estate. He has worked in both operational and non-operational roles. Ian has also undertaken a secondment with the Home Office, putting him at the heart of government and the criminal justice system. He currently serves as Deputy Director for Education, Employment and Industries Group, within HMPPS. Ian leads a team implementing the government’s Education and Employment Strategy. Ian previously served as the governor (warden) at HMP Wandsworth and prior to that, as the governor at HMP High Down. Ian has a psychology degree and graduated in 2016 from the University of Cambridge with a master’s degree in applied criminology, penology and management.
BURL CAIN
Commissioner, Mississippi Department of Corrections, Mississippi
FULL PROFILEBURL CAIN
Commissioner, Mississippi Department of Corrections, Mississippi
Burl Cain currently leads the Mississippi Department of Corrections as its commissioner. He formerly served as the warden of Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola, which is the largest prison in the U.S. with 90 percent of inmates who will never be released. He was the longest-standing warden in the history of LSP; under his leadership, the inmate population of over 6,000 saw a marked decrease in violent incidents. The transformational approach he implemented is the subject of the 2005 book Cain's Redemption by Dennis Shere. He holds a degree in agricultural business from Louisiana State University and a master’s degree in criminal justice from Grambling State University. He began his career at the Louisiana Farm Bureau, which led to serving as Assistant Secretary of Agribusiness for the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections. From 1981 to 1995, he was the warden of the Dixon Correctional Institute and served as Vice Chairperson of the Louisiana State Civil Service Commission. He is currently on the executive committee of the American Correctional Association (ACA) and is the founder and CEO of Global Prison Seminaries Foundation, which aids in the implementation of moral rehabilitation training in prisons.
PAT CARUSO
Former Director of Corrections and Former Warden in Michigan
FULL PROFILEPAT CARUSO
Former Director of Corrections & Former Warden in Michigan
Patricia "Pat" Caruso was appointed director of the Michigan Department of Corrections in July 2003 following a 15-year career with the agency that includes experience as a manager, warden, regional prison administrator, and deputy director. Caruso received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science and sociology from Lake Superior State University and a Master’s degree in comprehensive occupational education from the University of Michigan. Caruso has served as vice president of the American Correctional Association (ACA) and as president of the Association of State Correctional Administrators. She is a former member of the ACA Commission on Accreditation for Corrections, the ACA Standards Committee, and the ACA Program Planning Committee, and is a past president of the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents. Caruso was part of the process when Michigan reduced its prison population and recidivism through a “Justice Reinvestment” strategy. She believes corrections officials should care what happens when people leave prison and supports innovative reentry initiatives.
ALAN CROPSEY
Former Director of Legislative Relations and Former Senator in Michigan
FULL PROFILEALAN CROPSEY
Former Director of Legislative Relations and Former Senator in Michigan
Alan Cropsey most recently served as the director of legislative relations in the Michigan Attorney General's Office. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics education and a minor in composite science from Bob Jones University in Greenville, South Carolina. He earned a Juris Doctor degree from Thomas M. Cooley Law School in Lansing, Michigan. Cropsey worked as a partner with the Kallman & Cropsey law firm, was a teacher, and was appointed by President Ronald Reagan to the Intergovernmental Advisory Council on Education (IACE). He served on the advisory committee of the National Juvenile Justice Reform Project and was chairman of the Criminal Justice Section, Source Book of Model Legislation. His legislative work includes time as Michigan State Representative, 1979-1982; Michigan State Senator, 1983-1986; candidate for U.S. Congress for Michigan’s 10th District, 1990; was elected to the House of Representatives, 1992, 1994, and 1996; and was elected to the state senate in 2002 and 2006. He is married with four children.
DOUG DRETKE
Executive Director, Correctional Management Institute of Texas
FULL PROFILE
DOUG DRETKE
Executive Director, Correctional Management Institute of Texas
Since July 2006, Doug Dretke has served as executive director for the Criminal Justice Center's Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT) at Sam Houston State University. As a 26-year veteran of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice and SHSU alumnus, Dretke has first-hand knowledge of the agency. He rose from the ranks at TDCJ starting as a correctional officer before moving to assistant warden then senior warden at the Holliday and Pack Units. During his tenure with TDCJ, Dretke built strong working relationships with state and national leaders. In 1980, Dretke earned his Bachelor's degree from SHSU in criminology and corrections. In 2001, he received a Master’s degree in public administration with a criminal justice concentration from Texas A&M. Delivering speeches nationwide, Dretke is regarded as a respected presenter on various criminal justice-related issues. His passion for leadership development fits perfectly with CMIT’s mission to deliver development programs for personnel in corrections agencies and adult and juvenile probation communities.
EDMUND DUFFY
Former Warden, Rikers Island Jail Complex (RIJC), New York
FULL PROFILE
EDMUND DUFFY
Former Warden, Rikers Island Jail Complex (RIJC), New York
Rikers Island, New York City’s jail complex, is billed as the world’s largest penal colony, with an average daily inmate population of 14,000 men and women. Edmund Duffy started with the NYC Department of Correction in 1986 and spent his 29-year career at Rikers. He worked his way through the ranks while serving during much of his career as adjunct faculty to the Correction Academy in developing newly-assigned staff to supervisory ranks. As a captain, he oversaw the department's largest mental health unit. As an assistant deputy warden and deputy warden, he was responsible for security at the department's largest facilities, and as deputy warden in command, he oversaw the department's hospital prison wards. He has received numerous distinctions, including recognition as the department's deputy warden of the year and an award from the correction officer's union for outstanding leadership. In 2008, following a highly publicized homicide with staff complicity, Duffy was elevated to warden and assigned to the very same Rikers Island facility where he commenced his Rikers Island Warden tenure, serving in four separate facilities until his 2015 retirement. He has been interviewed by the New York Daily News, the City Journal, and CorrectionsOne.com, an online resource for the corrections industry. Throughout his career as a warden, Duffy fought to expand programs, inclusive of mental health services to inmate populations and educational opportunities for incarcerated adolescents and adults. While at the George Motchan Detention Center at Rikers, Duffy was instrumental in establishing an Honor Program, which utilized a curriculum, classrooms and numerous community-based volunteers to provide moral rehabilitation while preparing inmates to reenter the community. Edmund, upon retiring, resumed his education pursuits, completing a Bachelor of Science degree at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. Edmund continues to serve on several prison ministry boards and a NYC department fraternal organization, while he and his wife, Janinne, remain active in their local church and community.
RANDY GROUNDS
Former Warden, Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP), California
FULL PROFILE
RANDY GROUNDS
Former Warden, Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP), California
After graduating from UCLA, Randy Grounds started his career in 1979 with the El Dorado County Probation Department, where he worked for 11 years. During that time he was assigned at a juvenile facility as a Group Counselor and later as a probation officer. In 1991, he began his work with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where he was employed for 23 years. He has worked at six different prisons including Tehachapi, Lancaster, Solano, Soledad, Salinas Valley State Prison, and CIM which included all levels of custody. Grounds was the warden for the Correctional Training facility at Soledad prior to being reassigned as warden at Salinas Valley State Prison. In 2014, he retired from his long-standing career in corrections but still served in advisory roles, one of which was to work at CIM as a Chief Deputy Warden for a newly hired Warden. In September 2016, he was appointed by Governor Jerry Brown as a Commissioner for the California Board of Parole Hearings, where he conducts “Lifer” parole consideration hearings. Randy and his wife, Bea, have been married for 38 years and they reside in San Juan Capistrano, California. They have three adult children and two grandchildren.
REGINALD WILKINSON
Former Director of Corrections and former Warden in Ohio
FULL PROFILE
REGINALD WILKINSON
Former Director of Corrections and former Warden in Ohio
The Association of State Correctional Administrators (ASCA) states that, "few individuals generate as much respect and admiration as Reggie Wilkinson." Wilkinson is president of Connecting the Dots, LLC. After he retired from state government in 2006 he was president & CEO of the Ohio College Access Network as well as The executive director of the Ohio Business Alliance on Higher Education and the Economy. He was first employed by the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in 1973. Among other positions, he was a warden and served as the agency’s director for over 15 years. Dr. Wilkinson is past-president of ASCA and American Correctional Association (ACA), has authored numerous articles on best practices in corrections, and has spoken on restorative justice and faith-based programming. His recent book is entitled Leadership And Management: Connecting the Dots. He has received awards from the National Governors Association, ACA, ASCA, International Community Corrections Association, and the Volunteers of America. Reggie received a Bachelor’s degree in political science and a Master’s in higher education administration, both from Ohio State University. He was awarded a Doctor of Education from the University of Cincinnati.