The post summer 2007

              A R I Z O N A D E P A R T M E N T O F C O R R E C T I O N S
DORA SCHRIRO, DIRECTOR SUMMER, 2007
The Post
Two COs Memorialized
Lori Kasson, surrounded by her parents and sons, Jermey and Dale,
is presented the flag that draped her husband’s casket during grave
side services at the Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson.
Florence Corrections Officers laid to rest with full military honors
The Arizona Department
of Corrections is mourn-ing
the loss of two Cor-rections
Officers who lost
their lives while serving
in Iraq and Afghanistan.
CO II Darrell Kasson, a
staff sergeant in the Arizona
Army National Guard, died
on March 4 from wounds
he received when a road-side
bomb exploded near
his HumVee while he was
driving in a convoy near
Bayji, Iraq. CO II Charles
Browning was killed in ac-tion
on June 1 in Mehtar
Lam, Afghanistan by an im-provised
explosive device.
Darrell Kasson is sur-vived
by his wife Lori,
their three children, Lisa,
Jeremy and Dale. He had
been with the Department
of Corrections for 17 years.
He also served in the Ari-zona
Army National Guard
for 20 years. He was set to
retire in October, but didn’t
hesitate when he was called
to active duty last August.
The 43-year-old Kas-son
continued working as a
Corrections Officer until the
day he was deployed with
259th Engineer Company,
based in Phoenix. He was
sent to Iraq in November
2006 with the Alpha Bat-tery,
2-180th Field Artillery
Battalion. Kasson, who
had volunteered to ride in
the first vehicle in the con-voy,
despite knowing the
dangers of such a position,
is the first solider at ADC
killed in Iraq or Afghanistan.
Over 500 family, friends
and coworkers packed the
Florence High School gym-nasium,
where a memorial
service was held on March
15. Also in attendance were
Governor Janet Napolitano
and Department of Correc-tions
Director Dora Schriro.
During the service, Gover-nor
Napolitano called Kas-son
a hero and talked about
how the soldiers in Kas-son’s
unit, who she saw just
two days after his death dur-ing
her visit in Iraq, nick-named
Kasson “Preacher
man” and “Deacon” for
his strong religious beliefs.
ADC Director Schriro
told those attending the
memorial that Kasson was
a “remarkable man and an
amazing soldier.” She said
Kasson had many, many
friends and had made mea-surable
changes happen
during his years with the
Department of Corrections.
She said, “We mourn the
passing of a hero, a devoted
husband, a loving parent, a
patriot.” Kasson was laid
to rest on March 16 with
full military honors at Ever-green
Cemetery in Tucson.
Governor Janet Napolitano offers her condolences to the mother of
CO II Charles Browning during services at Evergreen Cemetery.
Memorial Services
Continued on
Page 2
Asian-Pacific
Heritage
Month
Page 4-5
ADC
Packs The
Bus With
School
Supplies
Page 6
Employee
Appreciation
Day
Page 3
ADC Mourns Loss Of Two Of its Own
From her desk
Reflecting on the recent deaths of two Arizona Department of Corrections Officers who
were called to active duty in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.
Service, Commitment, Sacrifice
For some, words are only a collection of letters
thrown on a page. For others, words convey our char-acter
and accomplishments. Tragically, it is when we
lose one – and two – of our own that we realize how
very limited our ability is to select the right words to
accurately communicate the grief we feel. This is one
of those times that we struggle to find the words to ex-press
the extraordinary sorrow we feel since two excep-tional
correctional professionals, Arizona Department
of Corrections Officers Darrell Kasson and Charles
Browning, were killed while serving in the Armed
Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan in the past few months.
Service
Every man and woman who dons the uniform of an
Arizona Department of Corrections Officer has cho-sen
a career that embodies the word, Service. These
5,322 among us are exceptional change agents; they
protect Arizona now, and later, under difficult and
sometimes dangerous circumstances managing the
burgeoning population throughout their incarceration
with excellence, pressing them to prepare for release
from the first through the last day of their sentence.
Many of our colleagues in the corrections com-munity
have faced other challenges. About one third
of all ADC officers and over one fourth of the en-tire
ADC workforce are veterans. There are 88
ADC employees currently in the Arizona National
Guard or the Reserve and 72 more on standby wait-ing
for deployment today. They wear our nation’s
uniform with pride and selflessly serve our country.
Commitment
The Arizona Department of Corrections em-ploys
9,538 dedicated men and women across the
state, many of them coming to the field of correc-tions
after a distinguished career in the military.
Arizonans have always responded to our coun-try’s
call. The ADC workforce is an exceptional seg-ment
of our state’s population with many also serving
in the Army Reserve and Arizona National Guard,
here and overseas. They divide their days, work-ing
in our facilities and the field and training with
the armed forces. Their commitment to country and
the field of corrections keeps us safe, now and later.
Sacrifice
Darrell Kasson, aged 43, was killed in Iraq on
March 4 when an IED detonated near his HumVee
in the area of Bayji, Iraq. COII Kasson had been a
valued member of the Department of
Corrections for almost 18 years and
with the Arizona National Guard for
nearly 20 years when he was called up
for active duty last November and then
sent to Iraq. A sergeant in the Arizona
National Guard, Kasson was known by
many as “Deacon” for his strong reli-gious
convictions. He volunteered to ride in the lead
vehicle of a convoy, knowing the inherent danger it
posed. Kasson, who had been married for 25 years,
leaves behind his wife Lori, three children and two
grandchildren and his mother. He was laid to rest with
full military honors at Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson.
Charles Browning, aged 31, was killed in Mehtar Lam,
Afghanistan from wounds he sustained from an IED
that detonated when he disembarked his vehicle. After
serving a term in the Army, he contin-ued
his commitment as a member of
the Arizona Army National Guard.
He joined the Arizona Department of
Corrections in January 2004, working
about 10 months at the Special Man-agement
Unit, ASPC-Eyman, before
he was called to active duty in Iraq. He completed a
year of military service overseas and then returned to
the ADC in 2006 for about a year before volunteering
for a second tour of duty with the 158th Battalion last
March. The Battalion provides security for coalition and
American forces in the eastern portion of Afghanistan.
Sergeant Browning is survived by his wife Lisa, two
stepdaughters, and his mother. He was laid to rest with
full military honors at Evergreen Cemetery in Tucson.
All of us celebrates the lives and mourns the
passing of Darrell Kasson and Charles Brown-ing.
We honor their service, commitment and sac-rifice
and extend heartfelt condolences to their
families and many, many friends and co-workers.
www.2 azcorrections.gov Summer, 2007
Charles Browning volunteered
for Operation Enduring Freedom in
Afghanistan in March and was as-signed
to Company B, 1st Battalion,
158th Infantry Regiment. This was
his second tour of duty in the Middle
East in less than a year. Browning
joined the ADC in January 2004,
the same year he signed up with the
Arizona Army National Guard and
10 months later, began a 15-month
mission in support of the war in Iraq.
Upon his return to Arizona, he spent
10 months at ASPC-Eyman before
volunteering to go overseas again.
Browning is survived by his wife
Lisa and two stepdaughters, Jessica
and Briana, his mother, brother
and sister. On June 14, 500 friends,
family and co-workers braved the
100 degree heat to attend the fu-neral
services at Evergreen Cem-etery
in Tucson. Governor Janet
Napolitano and ADC Director
Dora Schriro were in attendance.
The 31-year-old Browning was
remembered as a devoted hus-band,
father and Corrections Offi-cer.
Several fellow soldiers offered
their thoughts about Browning,
remembering him as a “commit-ted
soldier” who could always be
counted on in good times and bad.
He was respected by the enlisted
men and officers and was posthu-mously
promoted to Staff Sergeant.
Even though Browning had
already served one tour of duty
overseas, he felt that more needed
to be done and that is why he vol-unteered
for a second tour so soon
after returning in 2006. He be-lieved
that by fighting terrorists on
foreign soil, he was keeping the U.S.
safe from further terrorist’s attacks.
Darrell Kasson and Charles
Browning are our heroes. The
ADC celebrates their lives and
mourns their loss. They died
defending our country and we
honor their ultimate sacrifice.
Memorial Continued COII Kasson
COII Browning
REST IN PEACE
Around Arizona
CENTRAL OFFICE
EYMAN
DOUGLAS
LEWIS
PERRYVILLE
PHOENIX
TUCSON
YUMA
WINSLOW
SAFFORD
April 25th was set aside to recognize the
exceptional cadre of professionals who work for
the Arizona Department of Corrections. The
noontime event took place at Wesley Bolin Plaza.
Employees draped with beads enjoyed
burgers and hot dogs. Director Dora Schriro
handed out door prizes and Deputy Director
Steven Ickes helped judge employee desserts.
The DOC K-9 unit showed off their drug
detection and tracking skills and employees even
volunteered to take a dive in the dunk tank to
raise money for the employee recognition fund.
Nearly two dozen inmates at ASPC-Douglas are
getting ready for life after prison by training to work as
firefighters. The training offered by Cochise County
Community College helps fit the bill for the Arizona
Department of Correc-tions
programs to reduce
recidivism by enrolling
inmates in work based
education programs.
The Fire Science pro-gram
is comprised of 10
college level courses, and
includes hands on train-ing
in the use of vari-ous
firefighting equip-ment.
Completion of
the six month program
can earn inmates Lead
Firefighters and Fire
Leadership certificates.
Sabine Ludwig, Fire and Safety Officer with the
Arizona Department of Corrections says the program
benefits both the students and the prison. The inmates
get college level training in the firefighting sciences and
have the potential to serve on the inmate fire crews which
responds to emergencies within the prison complex.
In April, ASPC-Eyman handed out the first quarter
General Equivalency Diploma certificates to Arizona
state inmates. Deputy Warden Richard Bock awarded
the certificates to 30 inmates from the Meadows unit,
telling them what they could not accomplish outside
the prison walls, they’ve managed to accomplish inside.
Inmates within the Arizona Department of
Corrections account for almost a third of all
GED certificates awarded in Arizona each year.
The May Quarterly Awards Ceremony at ASPC-Lewis
was a big success. The event was held at the Buck-ley
ACI building with over 250 staff members present.
Acting Barchey Deputy Warden Anne Reeder
emceed the ceremony that had an Asian theme.
Canteen staff under the direction of Manager Raul
Perez, provided excellent fine Chinese dining and
many staff members were honored for their out-standing
service to the Department of Corrections.
CO II Tyrone Abocrombie honed his wrestling
skills for the upcoming 2008 Olympics by winning two
events in the US Championship Games in Las Vegas.
He competed in two heavyweight events, de-feating
all comers in the Freestyle and Greco Ro-man
Wrestling and won gold plaques in both arenas.
COII Abocrombie spends his off duty hours
getting ready to try out for a spot on the U.S.
Olympic Wrestling Team, which will be going
to next year’s Olympic games in Beijing, China.
The Arizona Department of Corrections was aptly
represented in April during the Arizona Police and
Fire Games, held in Scottsdale. CO III Kris McLean,
ASPC-Phoenix/Globe Unit, defended her Women’s Cy-cling
Triple Crown, winning three medals in the event.
McLean received Gold medals in both the 48 mile road
race and 8.5 mile Time Trial, finishing first in her age
group and first female overall in both road bike events.
McLean’s time in the road race was two hours-
40 minutes and 40 seconds and 33-minutes-40
seconds in the Time Trial. She also was award-ed
a Silver medal in the 16-mile mountain bike
competition, finishing in second place with a
time of two-hours-18 minutes and 51 seconds.
Since January, inmates at ASPC-Winslow have
been making donations to the Catholic Charities
foster care program. Every month, the inmates have
donated over $1,000.00 to help the local children in
foster care. Catholic Charities has expressed their
thanks for the support and contributions and congrat-ulates
the inmates for their hard work and dedication.
FLORENCE
ASPC-Florence inmates taking classes to be cer-tified
as firefighters when they get out of prison got
some real life experience to practice what they’d
learned. OSC III Rick Baker says on March 6,
staff at the Picacho Unit spotted smoke coming
Inmates Earn GEDs
Firefighting Crews Practice Class Lessons In
Employee Appreciation Day
Firefighting Training For Inmates
Quarterly Award Ceremony
Special Olympics Torch Run Fundraiser
Gold Medal Wrestler
Safe House Fundraiser
Triple Crown Winner
Winslow Inmates Give Back
Inmates Create Pretend Jet For Yuma Children
Two dozen inmates from ASPC-Yuma/Cheyene put
their carpentry training programs to good use. Work-ing
with three staff from the Wildland Fire Crews, fash-ioning
a “Harrier Jet” from a log for the Stewart Vin-cent
Wolfe Memorial Park in the West Wetlands area.
The city of Yuma has organized a citywide effort
to build the playground, with the materials, fund-ing
and labor all donated by community members.
ASPC-Safford, in conjunction with the Mt. Gra-ham
Safe House, is hosting the 9th Annual Mt. Gra-ham
Safe House Benefit Scramble on August 11th.
This domestic violence shelter is the only shelter serv-ing
Graham & Greenlee Counties. Funding from
this benefit allows the shelter to provide direct ser-vices
to victims. This event is a chance to play some
golf, eat some good food and have a fun day, see some
old friends and a chance to make some new ones.
Witness Victim Memorial Garden
The city of Safford and the Arizona Department of Cor-rections
completed another joint project over Memorial
Day weekend, placing a plaque in the Victim/Witness
Memorial Garden on the Safford City Hall. The flowers
and curbing around the memorial, as well as the plaque,
were prepared by Department of Corrections inmates.
www.Summer, 2007 azcorrections.gov 3
f r o m a nearby field. Baker, along with CO II Lun-dburg,
took a 12-man crew that only two days ear-lier
had been studying wildland fires, to investigate.
About two miles west of the Picacho Unit, they
found a field on fire and using training they had learned
in class, the inmates cut a line in front of the fire. They
then set a “backburn fire” to head off the flames from
spreading to some nearby mobile homes. After about
two hours of “mop up”, the fire was declared extin-guished
and the crew returned to the Picacho Unit. No
one was injured and there was no damage to equipment.
Time is running out to buy your chance to win a
gigantic playground structure that will make you child
the envy of everyone in the neighborhood. Tickets for
the “My Turn on the Swing” raffle are only $5.00 each
and there are only 2000 available. The grand prize is a
Sunshine Castle Package II, provided by Rainbow Tuc-son
Play Systems. To purchase tickets, send your cash,
check or money order, made out to Special Olympics
Arizona LETR to Dannielle Hallahan C/O ASPC-Tucson,
10,000 S. Wilmot Road Tucson AZ 85734.
ADC celebrates Asian Pacific Heritage Month
Department hosts award ceremony to honor contributions of Asian Pacific employees
The Arizona Department of Corrections honored Asian Pacific American employees for
their achievements and contributions during nationwide Asian Pacific Heritage Month
in Arizona this May. This year’s event, which took place at the Valley Garden Center
in Phoenix, included a presentation of awards to outstanding Asian Pacific American
employees of the ADC who have demonstrated significant leadership to and service to
the department and their communities. During the event, students of the Asian Arts
Center in Phoenix demonstrated Kenbu, a dance performed to traditional Japanese
song with a sword or a fan. The Asian Arts Center is the only school in the country
which teaches this form of dance based on famous Japanese battles, legends and folklore.
ADC employees of Asian or Pacific Islander heritage comprise 1.5 percent
of the department’s workforce and are represented in most occupational
areas including administrators, the CO series and administrative support.
In the State of Arizona they are the fastest-growing racial group. This year’s
theme, “Pursuing Excellence Through Leadership, Diversity and Unity”,
acknowledges the many nations groups that Asian Pacific Americans represent.
Director Dora Schriro recognizes the contributions made by Asian Pacific employees
to the department. Noting the rich cultural diversity of the Asian and Pacific employees
at this year’s event, she distributed “Dudley Do-Right” awards to ADC employees of
Asian Pacific descent who had been singled out by their peers for “doing the right thing.”
Lien Chiu
Dentist
ASPC-Winslow/Program Services
Division
Since her assignment to the
position of Lead Dentist
at ASPC-Winslow
in June 2006, Dr.
Chiu has taken
hold of the dental
needs of the
inmate population
and balanced them
with the operational
needs of the prison complex. She
provides routine and emergency
dental care for 15-20 inmates each
day including fillings, extractions,
cleanings, making dentures, partials,
and impressions, an impressive
number by industry standards.
Dr. Chiu also oversees the fabrication
of dental impressions. ADC presents
its share of challenges – most recently
the impact of methamphetamine
abuse, which require specialized
treatment. As the lead dentist she
also serves on the health services
management team and participates
in the quality review committee.
Dr. Chiu has family in Hong
Kong as well as California where
she left a fast-paced dental practice
in Los Angeles for 15 plus years to
live in small-town Arizona. Since her
arrival in Winslow, she has immersed
herself in Northern Arizona’s Native
American culture and is known as
a person with a great love of the
outdoors and of cooking where she,
too, is known for her native dishes.
Chong Dominy
Fiscal Services Specialist III
Central Office Accounting Unit
Chong Dominy i s
a naturalized
citizen born
in Korea, met
her husband,
George, 27 years
ago while he was
stationed in Korea.
After they married,
their career took them to the U.S. and
Germany. Eventually they returned
to the U.S. and settled in Arizona.
Chong joined the Arizona
Department of Corrections in 1998
as an Accounting Technician II and
4 July 2007
was promoted several times over
the next few years before finally
arriving at her current position as
a Fiscal Services Specialist III with
the Accounting Unit. She is now a
section supervisor overseeing four
employees and is responsible for all
inmate health care payments for the
agency. Mrs. Dominy’s natural gift
for supporting others is always on
display at work through her excellent
customer service skills and in her
daily communication with customers
and staff at all ADC institutions.
Chong enjoys the outdoors,
exercising and reading. She is
also active in her local church
where she sings in the choir and
donates her time, experience
and financial skills as a volunteer
bookkeeper. The Dominy’s have
two children, Angela and Scott and
two grandchildren, Brian and Jadon.
Paz Encinares
	
Personnel Assistant II
Support Services Division
Paz Encinares
has worked in the
ADC Personnel File
Room since May
1995 where she is
responsible for over
13,000 ADC official
employee personnel
files including those active and
inactive employees. Ms. Encinares is
only one of two staff who maintains
these documents and ensures the
paperwork is filed promptly and
correctly. In large part because of
her efforts, there is no backlog to
getting the documents into the
personnel files - - an impressive feat.
In 2000, Ms. Encinares was asked
to learn how to archive personnel
records. At the time, personnel files
would be archived when someone
“got around to it.” She assumed
this responsibility and learned it
with very little assistance, setting
up the procedure that today
ensures our record archiving is
done according to the states record
archives procedures and timeframes.
Ms. Encinares was born and raised
in the Philippine Republic where
she worked for five years as a high
school teacher and for about 19
years in the records department of
a regional hospital. She immigrated
to the United States in 1994 and
became a U.S. citizen in 2000.
In her off hours, she enjoys
gardening and watching the Phoenix
Suns! Ms. Encinares is married and has
two grandchildren, Cassandra and
Ramy. Her daughter, Maria, works
at ASPC-Phoenix in the records unit.
Samantha Goss
Correctional Records Technician I
ASPC-Lewis/Business
Office
Samantha Goss
began her career
in 2002 as a Clerk
I at Central Office,
eventually reaching
her current position
as Correctional Records Technician
I in 2004 when she transferred to
ASPC-Lewis where she gathers and
processes information to ensure that
inmates meet all criteria for release.
Ms. Goss has earned the respect
of her co-workers and supervisors
because of her in-depth knowledge
of policies and procedures pertinent
to the release of inmates. A super
self-starter, she is always ready to
assist and is in frequent contact
with other law enforcement agency
representatives, as well as ADC
staff, keeping everyone informed
of inmates’ impending releases.
Ms. Goss also helps to coordinate
ICE releases with other institutions
and communicates with ICE
representatives on a regular basis.
Ms. Goss is a self-described
football mom, faithfully attending
her two sons, Randy and Jonathan,
ball games. When she is not
attending these games, she and her
husband, Paul, are busy caring for
Tiare, their two-year-old daughter.
CO II Maria Gilbert
ASPC-Yuma/Cheyenne Unit
Maria Gilbert was working as a
teacher in Butuan City, Philippines,
when she met Donald
Gilbert, who was
a Peace Corps
volunteer teaching
English as a
second language.
She married
Donald in 1999 and
they left the Philippines
in 2000, eventually settling in Yuma,
Arizona in 2002 when her husband
accepted a teaching position at a
local high school. Maria also worked
as an elementary school teacher in
Yuma until 2004, when she began
her employment with the Arizona
Department of Corrections as a
Correctional Officer at ASPC-Yuma.
COII Gilbert is a valued ADC
employee, receiving the Cheyenne
Unit Employee of the Month Award in
February 2006 for her professionalism
and dedication to duty. Because of
her attention to detail, COII Gilbert has
identified security device deficiencies
that others have missed and always
takes the initiative to complete the
appropriate paperwork to correct
the deficiencies. Also her pat search
procedures have become a standard
by which others are now trained.
COII Gilbert is devoted to her
16-year-old daughter Greta Marie
and in her spare time enjoys reading
and cooking. She is an excellent
and generous cook bringing home-cooked
dishes to potluck dinners.
COII Gilbert continues to volunteer
as a teacher at local schools.
Barry Lum
Community Correctional Officer
Community Corrections/Southwest
Parole Office
Community Correctional Officer
Barry Lum joined
ADC after a
d i s t i n g u i s h e d
22-year career in
the United States
Air Force, rising
to the rank of
Master Sergeant.
Officer Lum joined
the Department in 1 9 9 2
as a Correctional Officer at ASPC-Perryville,
promoting to Sergeant the
following year. He reached his current
position in 2003 and has worked at the
Southwest Parole office since then.
Currently, Officer Lum is the sole
officer covering all parolee releases
for Goodyear, Buckeye, Tonopah,
Gila Bend, Palo Verde, and other
unincorporated areas of western
Maricopa County. In addition to
his normal duties, he is also the
back-up staff member for the ASPC-Perryville
Fast Track pilot program
and conducts monthly orientation
classes at Perryville with another
Fast Track officer. Officer Lum is the
resident Southwest Parole liaison
for the Buckeye and Goodyear
Police Departments, keeping them
informed on all matters pertaining to
the parolees under his supervision.
In the aftermath of the September
11 terrorist attack, he received a
letter of appreciation from the
Federal government for arranging
for local U.S. Air Marshals to
accomplish firearms qualifications
at the ASPC-Lewis training range,
saving them much needed time.
Officer Lum’s son, Michael, has
followed in his father’s footsteps
serving as an air marshal. In his off
duty time, Barry enjoys coaching a
local volleyball team and caring for
Vance, his one-year-old grandson.
COIII John Mattos
ASPC-Tucson/Cimarron Unit
CO III John Mattos hails from
Hawaii where he
began his career as a
Correctional Officer
at the Hawaii
D e p a r t m e n t
of Corrections
and then
later promoted
to Sergeant.
COIII Mattos joined the ADC in
2001 as a Correctional Officer at
ASPC-Tucson. He briefly left in 2004
to work in Iraq, where he assisted in
creating the employee training for the
Iraqi prisons and was reinstated with
the Department after nine months.
He promoted to COIII in 2006 and
www.azcorrections.gov Summer, 2007
5
is responsible for the supervision
of programs at Cimarron Unit.
During his brief time as a COIII he
has made a tremendous difference
by helping to increase inmate
programming by more than 400
percent, encouraging inmates to
participate in programs including
parenting, cultural diversity, anger
management, and Cottage Industry.
He has also been instrumental in
creating the business classroom
study for Cottage Industries.
He has recently assisted with
audits for ASPC-Perryville and
helped with the start up of the
Cottage Industry program at
the Perryville Level One unit.
When John is not working he enjoys
coaching a junior high basketball team
and girls’ softball team. He is married
with three daughters, Savannah,
Sierra and Lahela, who keep him
busy with all their athletic pursuits.
Wayne McKaskle
	
	
Information Technology Specialist
III
ASPC-Tucson/Support Services
Division
Wayne McKaskle
joined ADC in
September 2003
as a Correctional
Officer, advancing
to his current
position of Information
Technology Specialist III at ASPC-Tucson
in May 2005. He has the
daunting responsibility of installing,
maintaining, and supporting
the prison’s computer network
and maintaining the security of
the system. Among his varied
responsibilities, he assists in keeping
the prison’s computer networks and
personal hardware and software
functioning, monitoring the
utilization of network disk space, and
ensuring proper documentation and
licensing of software and hardware.
McKaskle has also taken the
initiative, based on his electronic
engineering background, to design
new control panels and is saving the
Department time and money. He
also assumed the duties of telecom
support and CCTV Technician
because the position has been
vacant due to a hiring deferment.
His other interests include
auto mechanics, electronics, and
weight lifting. Wayne is married to
Caroline and they have three grown
sons, Michael, Daniel, and Eric.
COIII Maria Elena M. Peji
ASPC-Eyman/Meadows Unit
COIII Maria Elena
Peji began her
career with ADC
in August 1997 as
a Clerk Typist III.
In February 1999,
her career took
a different path
when she enrolled
in the Correctional Officer Training
Academy and upon graduation, was
assigned to ASPC-Eyman. In April
2005, she was promoted to COIII.
Following her promotion, she
was transferred to the Meadows
Unit, where she has been actively
engaged in coordinating various
inmate charitable events, garnering
nearly $3,000 in contributions for
her efforts. She’s also focused on
AZ Aging 2020, by enrolling 90% of
her inmate case load in the Health
Fair sponsored by the Department.
She actively seeks out and recruits
inmates to be peer-to-peer educators
on the subject of Hepatitis C.
CO III Peji continually strives to meet
the goals and strategic issues of the
agency. Her efforts preparing inmates
to be community-oriented and
civic-minded citizens upon release
are remarkable and directly link to
Strategic Issue #2, Public Safety Later.
She also lends her support to the Law
Enforcement Torch Run, manning
booths and encouraging her co-workers
to walk or run in the event.
CO III Peji was born in the
Philippines and the majority of her
family still resides there. When she
is off duty, you might find her singing
Karaoke at a local establishment.
Genevieve C. Posedly
Correctional Records Supervisor II
ASPC-Tucson/Records
Philippines born
Genevieve Posedly
became a United
States Citizen in
1992, the same
year she started
working for the
Arizona Department
of Corrections as a Clerk I in the
Florence Offender Information
Unit. In March 1996, she was
promoted to Correctional Records
Supervisor II at ASPC-Tucson.
Genevieve is recognized by
her peers as one of the most
knowledgeable Offender Information
Unit supervisors in the Department,
in part because of the time she
takes to train and mentor other OIU
staff. She has also helped develop
a training program and then trained
other OIU staff and supervisors in
the difficult and exacting process
of the Interstate Agreement on
Detainers Act. Many attribute to
her efforts the exceptional working
relationship that has developed with
the Tucson Immigrations and Custom
Enforcement Agency. She is also
instrumental in ensuring the ASPC-Tucson
Immigration hearing process
runs efficiently and without issues.
Genevieve has participated
in the Law Enforcement Torch
Run since 1997 riding her bike to
generate donations and increase
awareness. At her church, she is
often asked to sing or play the piano.
Genevieve is married and has
one son, Robert, who is currently
attending college in the Philippines.
Lt. James Sablan
ASPC-Perryville/Santa Maria Unit
Prior to joining ADC, Lt. James
Sablan was a member of the U.S.
Marine Corps, finishing
13 years of service as
a Sergeant. After
joining the ADC in
1998 he has worked
his way up the
ranks, starting as a
Correctional Officer
at ASPC-Florence,
promoted to Sergeant in
2001 at ASPC-Perryville/Santa Cruz
and then to Lieutenant at Santa
Maria at ASPC-Perryville in 2005.
Lt. Sablan is currently the Day Shift
Commander, where he’s described
as a first class multi-tasker, in charge
of all the movement at his unit and a
force to be reckoned with, ensuring
his staff adheres to our best practices.
On a Level Two Unit there is a lot
of movement and he is meticulous
about inspecting and preparing
cells for a steady influx of inmates.
Lt. Sablan is an expert in many
areas including transportation,
security device inspection,
perimeter, and grooming. He
participated in the March 2007
peer audit for the Santa Maria Unit
and last year was called upon to
assist with the ASPC-Safford audit.
In his free time, he enjoys helping
with the JROTC program at Trevor
Brown High School, passing on the
pride that the Marines instilled in him
showing young adults the positive
aspects of being involved in the
military. His own daughters, Carrie
and Deidra, have taken his mission
to heart as they are also members of
their high school’s JROTC program.
COII Vincent Salva
ASPC-Tucson/Win-chester
Unit
COII Vincent
Salva serves with
distinction as the
Ac count abi l i t y
Officer at ASPC-Tucson
Winchester
Unit, where he is
responsible for the location
and movement of more than
500 medium custody inmates.
In addition to his regularly assigned
duties, COII Salva has achieved the
position of Squad Leader on the
Tucson Complex Tactical Support
Unit. With nearly 4 years of service
on TSU, COII Salva instructs a variety
of courses including firearms, use of
force, designated armed response,
and designated armed response
for supervisors. He is also an expert
in the areas of accountability,
movement and transportation.
In March of 2007, COII Vincent’s
professionalism and dedication to
duty earned him the distinction
of Winchester Unit’s Uniformed
Employee of the Month.
Before joining the Department
in 2003, Officer Salva served in the
U.S. Marine Corps for four years,
reaching the rank of Corporal.
In his off-duty time, he enjoys
spending time with his wife,
Terri, and two children, Bridgette
and Danielle. He also serves as a
Deacon at his church, volunteers
as a facilitator at a Christian home
schooling organization providing
resource referrals to parents
who home school their children.
COIII Kanchana Vogel
ASPC-Tucson/Winchester Unit
Kanchana Vogel
was born in
Thailand. She came
to America as a
student attending
the University
of Hawaii earning
a Masters Degree
in English as a second language.
	 	 	 	 	 	 www.Summer, 2007 azcorrections.gov 5
She joined ADC in 1988 as a
Correctional Officer I. In 1994 she rose
to Correctional Officer II, in 1997 to
Sergeant and in 1999 to Correctional
Officer III. She has served at South,
Santa Rita, Central, SMU I and now
the /Winchester Unit where she
serves with distinction as the COIII.
She manages a big caseload of 120
inmates, involving each of them in
the department’s restorative justice
programs. She also serves on the
unit’s disciplinary committee and she
is an expert on inmate letters and the
substance abuse treatment program.
COIII Vogel is a mentor to her staff,
encouraging them to further their
careers and her positive attitude
serves as an inspiration to her co-workers,
who rely on her for guidance
and support. She plans to stay in
her current position for another two
years before she begins her quest to
promote to Correctional Officer IV.
In her spare time she plays tennis,
likes to bowl, and enjoys traveling.
She admits to playing golf but not
as well as she would like. She also
enjoys volunteering at her church.
Kristine Yaw
Procurement Manager
Central Office
Kristine Yaw was
born in China
and came to the
United States in
1987. She became
a naturalized
citizen in 1996
and graduated from
Arizona State University in 1998
with a degree in Supply Chain
Management. She held several
public and private sector purchasing
positions before joining the
Arizona Department of Corrections’
Procurement Services Unit in August
2004 as a Contracts Management
Specialist III supervising a staff of six.
Because of Kristine’s strong work
ethic, professionalism, and high
quality work products, she was
promoted to Contracts Management
Supervisor I in only eight months.
Her skills, experience and dedication
to the Department were obvious as
she promoted three more times in
the next two years until reaching her
current position as the Purchasing
Manager in February 2007. Kristine
is a valuable asset to the Department
with extensive knowledge of the
procurement process and excellent
customer service skills which she uses
to support both staff and vendors.
In the community, Kristine is
an active supporter of the March
of Dimes and the Breast Cancer
Association. She has donated her
time and efforts to these worthy
organizations by participating in
walks, awareness activities, donation
drives and other fund raising
activities to support healthy children
and women’s health issues in Arizona.
When she isn’t at work or
supporting charitable causes,
Kristine is busy spending time
with her husband Lawrence and
their two children: Alison, 3 years
old, and Ethan, 8 months old.
“You’ve Been Caught
DOING THE RIGHT
TH ING ”
Corrections Officers Getting Much Needed Protection
Over 200 staff members includ-ing
Correctional Officers, medi-cal,
education and maintenance
staff at ASPC-Florence are safer
today thanks to a generous dona-tion
by the 100 Club of Arizona.
On March 22, Director Dora
Schriro, Warden Carson McWil-liams
and Central Unit ADW
Yolanda Elliot attended the annual
100 Club Banquet, where they ac-cepted
a check for $42,699.50 for the
purchase of equipment to improve
the safety of Central Unit staff. The
money came from the 100 Club’s
Safety Enhancement Stipend Pro-gram
which was created to provide
assistance to public safety agencies,
when other funding is unavailable.
ADW Elliot prepared the re-quest
for the money, citing the need
for more stab vest inserts for Cen-tral
Unit staff, who are required to
wear vests when they have inmate
contact. The money from the 100
Club will be used to purchase in-serts
which cost $395 a pair. War-den
McWilliams, with the ap-proval
of Division Director Sam
Sublett, also purchased material to
make more vests and this has im-proved
the staff ’s safety and morale.
This is the largest safety enhance-ment
stipend to be awarded to any
public safety agency in Arizona
since the program began in 2004.
The Central Unit staff sends out a
big “thank you” to the 100 Club.
Central Unit’s Staf f Safer Thanks To 100 Club Donation That Provided New Stab Vests
ADC Pa c k s The Bus For Ne edy Kids
Central Of fice Staf f Help Kick Of f Statewide School Supply Drive For Children In Need
When Governor Janet Napolitano
put out the call for state agencies
to participate in the statewide
event to help children in need get
ready for the new school year, the
Arizona Department of Corrections
responded. Governor Napolitano
began the annual statewide “Pack
To School” fundraiser five years
ago and the ADC has consistently
led all other state agencies in
collecting school supplies for
children who would otherwise
not have the necessary materials
Staff from ASPC-Perryville and Central Office display just a few of the hundreds of back-packs
being donated. From left is CO III’s Karen Abbot, Raquel Chavez and Barbara Lan-caster,
AA III Heidi Geary CO II Juan Hererra, ESA Heather Price, AA III Chistina Valenzulea,
AA III Christine Sosa and ICC II Virginia Strankman.
to begin the new school year.
The ADC packed a prison
bus and a flatbed truck with supplies
donated by staff and inmates at
ASPC-Perryville, Phoenix and
Lewis, as well as the Central Office
Complex buildings near the Capitol.
ASPC-Perryville inmates donated
$10,195 to be used to purchase
pencils, papers, books, glue sticks
and other school supplies. To date,
staff and inmates have donated over
8,900 school items, including 642
backpacks. ASPC-Lewis inmates
donated $2,461 towards the
purchase of school supplies; together
staff and inmates bought over
3,300 school supplies and ASPC-Phoenix
staff donated 1,308 school
supply items. The Central Office
staff also raised $787 towards the
purchase of 1,040 school supplies.
Inmates at ASPC-Perryville donated over
$10,000 to help fill a flatbed truck with
much needed school supplies
In total, over $13,000 in cash went
towards purchasing 13,291 school
supplies that were brought to the
“Pack to School” July 17th kick-off
at the Executive Tower. The state’s
other seven prison complexes have
raised $6,500 in donations and
collected over 6,200 supplies to date.
A final tally of all money and
school supplies donated is expected
to be completed by mid August,
after the school drive is over.
ADC Director Dora Schriro and Governor
Janet Naptolitano stand with AAIII Heidie
Geary, AA III Christine Sosa, AA III Christina
Valenzulea, ESA Heather Price and ICC II
Virginia Strankman.
Governor Proclaims Correctional Officer Week
Wi l d l and Fi r e Cr ew Co r r e c t i on Of f i c e r s Hono r e d Dur ing CO We e k , Ma y 6 -12
Arizona Governor Janet
Napolitano proclaimed May 6-
12 “Correctional Officer Week”.
Wildland Fire Crew CO II’s from
each of Arizona’s 10 state pris-ons
were selected to represent the
Arizona Department of Correc-tions
and were joined by Director,
Dora Schriro, Division Director
Sam Sublett, and Southern Region
Operations Director David Cluff.
The ADC is proud to have
345 trained responders, includ-ing
45 Correction Officer super-visors
and 300 inmates ready to
respond at any time to wildland
fires. Last year alone, ADC fire
crews responded to 97 fires and
contributed 322,800 hours of fire
fighting and brush clearing last
year alone, saving taxpayers over
$3 million in the 2006 fiscal year.
Since 1985, correctional
officers have been honored dur-ing
the first full week of May.
In Arizona, 5,485 work in pris-on
facilities throughout Ari-zona
helping ensure the safety
for Arizona citizens every day.
This year’s Correctional Of-ficers
recognized are CO II David
Ruiz and CO II Daniel Eaton, both
from ASPC-Florence, CO II Juan
Ramos from ASPC-Perryville, CO
II Lehi Vizcaino from ASPC Saf-ford,
CO II Wade Damms from
ASPC-Winslow, CO II Gabriel
Mata from ASPC-Eyman, CO II
Rosalio Vasquez from ASPC Lew-is,
COII Patrick Rush from ASPC-Phoenix,
CO II Yolanda Ceballos
from ASPC Yuma and CO II Terry
Ahihai and CO II from Tucson.
Governor Janet Napolitano and ADC
Director Dora Schriro honor 10 COs
who staff the Wildland Fire Crews.
Staff members at ASPC-Florence hold up a copy of the check donated by the
100 Club of Arizona. Nearly $43,000 was used to provide stab vests for
all Central Unit Staff, who are required to wear them whenever they have
inmate contact.