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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, July 15, 1998
CONTACT: Perrin Damon (503)945-0925
Five New Prison Superintendents Appointed
Director Dave Cook and Deputy Director Ben de Haan recently announced appointments to five vacant superintendent positions in our department. The vacancies are attributed to new prison construction as well as promotions, transfers and retirements of some of our top prison managers.
Following a nationwide search that yielded 24 semi-finalists, half of whom were from Oregon, the field was narrowed to twelve finalists: five from other states and seven from our department. Mr. Cook and Dr. de Haan were both personally involved in the selection process and were impressed with the caliber of all of the applicants.
The candidates who were ultimately appointed demonstrated a high level of professional experience in corrections and a commitment to our mission, vision and values. Specifically, superintendents were selected who will hold offenders accountable for their actions by combining public safety with programs that reduce the risk of future criminal behavior. A strong emphasis was placed on candidates´ abilities to develop inmates´ job skills and create partnerships to successfully transition offenders back into the community.
"I can´t emphasize enough how important it was to us to select individuals who will move the department forward, make Measure 17 successful (the inmates to work initiative), implement our new incarceration plan as part of the public safety continuum, and establish programs that will lower recidivism, Mr. Cook explained. "Equally important, we looked for individuals with a combination of interests, including the potential for leadership in the community."
"We think we found them."
Palmateer First Female Superintendent of OSP
Director Cook appointed Security Chief Joan Palmateer to head our only maximum security prison, Oregon State Penitentiary. Ms. Palmateer will be the first woman superintendent in the venerable prison´s 132-year history.
"I am eager to approach this new challenge and anticipate building on the solid foundation of my predecessors, Ms. Palmateer said. "I look forward to working with staff dedicated to ensuring public safety while meeting mandates such as Measure 17."
Ms. Palmateer is an experienced veteran with our department, having begun her career in corrections as a correctional officer in 1980. She progressed to corporal, sergeant, security manager, and assistant superintendent, serving in a number of our prisons. She is recognized nationally as an authority on prison security and is the only woman in that specialized branch of corrections to be a consultant with the National Institute of Corrections. She succeeds S. Frank Thompson who was promoted to assistant director of Institutions in April.
Morrow to Lead OSCI
Mitch Morrow, assistant superintendent of Oregon State Penitentiary and acting superintendent since Mr. Thompson´s promotion, will become superintendent of Oregon State Correctional Institution. He succeeds Nick Armenakis who was also promoted to assistant director of Institutions earlier this year. Mr. Morrow´s entire career has been devoted to the penitentiary and its former Farm Annex (now Mill Creek Correctional Facility), where he began as a correctional officer in 1983.
Schiedler Official at TRCI
Bob Schiedler, who previously had been superintendent of SCI/MCCF and OWCC, will add the new Two Rivers Correctional Institution in Umatilla to his list of accomplishments. Mr. Schiedler also began his career as a correctional officer with our department in 1964 at OSCI. Mr. Schiedler was often asked to participate in special projects; most recently he was a member of the department´s New Prison Design Team, an assignment that took him to Umatilla as team leader for the Two Rivers construction project. Mr. Schiedler holds a Masters degree in Correctional Administration from Western Oregon State University.
Texas Veteran Lampert to SRCI
Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario, the state´s largest prison, will be led by a former senior warden from Texas. Robert O. Lampert has 20 years experience in corrections, beginning as a correctional officer in 1978 and rising to warden within seven years. Mr. Lampert served in a number of different prisons in Texas, and has a track record of employing inmates in a variety of jobs. He is a former Marine and also holds a law degree from the University of Houston Law Center and an MBA from Sam Houston State University.
Newcomer Hall to SCI
Guy L. Hall of Honolulu, Hawaii, will succeed Bob Schiedler as superintendent of Santiam Correctional Institution in Salem. He has been with the Hawaii Department of Public Safety since 1983 where he began his career in corrections as a social worker. He served as warden of a 1200-bed Hawaii state prison between 1993 and 1995. In November 1995 he was given a special assignment supervising the department´s Internal Affairs Unit, Audit and Compliance Unit and hearings officers. Prior to earning his Masters degree in Social Work at the University of Hawaii, he graduated from Willamette University with a BA in Sociology.
Additional Appointments
In related moves, Jim Bartlett, assistant superintendent of OSCI will assume Ms. Palmateer´s duties as chief of Institutions Security Operations for the department.
Tony Santos, assistant superintendent of SCI/MCCF, will become assistant superintendent of OSCI.
Brad Heath, security manager at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, will become one of three assistant superintendents at Snake River Correctional Institution in Ontario.
"With our growth, additional opportunities within our department are to be expected, Director Cook concluded. "Our commitment to our staff is to offer them a breadth of experience in their careers so they remain competitive when future promotional opportunities arise."
"If any one factor repeated itself in the selection process, it was the observation that the best candidates were those with broad-based experience in a number of assignments and institutions, Dr. de Haan added. "I encourage anyone who wants to advance their career in corrections to look outside of their comfort zone for new opportunities and expanded horizons."
Wilsonville Decision Postponed
Mr. Cook decided to hold off on filling the superintendent´s position at the new combined women´s prison and intake center in Wilsonville until legislative action is complete and the schedule for construction is more clearly defined.
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