The Arkansas Board of Corrections on Wednesday unanimously confirmed the governor's choice of Wendy Kelley to serve as the state's first secretary of corrections, with oversight of more than 80,000 prisoners, probationers and parolees.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson tapped Kelley in late May to fill a position in his Cabinet that will administer the combined services of the state's Parole Board; Department of Correction, which runs the state's prisons; and the Department of Community Correction, which works with parolees and probationers.
Kelley has led the Department of Correction since the start of Hutchinson's administration in 2015.
The governor's pick to lead the Cabinet-level agency called the Department of Corrections was subject to the approval of the seven-member Board of Corrections, which met Wednesday in Little Rock for its monthly meeting.
At the meeting, the board quickly dispensed with other matters before heading into executive session, where it spent nearly two hours considering Kelley's nomination. For the final 40 minutes of their deliberations, the board members invited Kelley to join them.
Afterward, the board voted unanimously in a public session to confirm Kelley's appointment.
Benny Magness, the chairman of the board, said the lengthy deliberations included discussions about the roles of top administrators in the several departments being merged, and were not a result of the board considering other candidates.
"There's no question on her capabilities and qualifications," Magness said.
The Arkansas Freedom of Information Act states that "executive sessions will be permitted only for the purpose of considering employment, appointment, promotion, demotion, disciplining, or resignation of any public officer or employee." Executive sessions are closed to the public.
Solomon Graves, a spokesman for the Department of Correction, said Kelley will initially serve the "dual roles" of leading the day-to-day operations of the state prison system, while also serving in the governor's Cabinet.
"Over time, there will be discussion about leadership of the Division of Correction," Graves said.
Magness said he expected that a replacement for Kelley will eventually be named to take over prison operations.
The merger of the state's correctional systems is part of the governor's larger effort to winnow the number of agencies reporting directly to him from 42 to 15. Kelley's salary is expected to increase from $155,000 to $158,000 annually.
Kelley said Wednesday that her first actions as secretary of corrections will be to meet with the heads of other agencies now under her purview -- such as the Parole Board and the Arkansas Correctional School -- to get acquainted with their operations. Cabinet secretaries will begin their formal duties on July 1.
"I've got a lot of areas I've got to learn and get advice from," Kelley said.
An attorney by trade, Kelley joined the Department of Correction in 2006 as the deputy director for health and correctional programs. She later rose to chief deputy director and then director.
Under her leadership, the department has struggled to address issues of overcrowding of inmates and vacant staff positions.
In 2017, a string of violent incidents that injured several guards and inmates brought increased scrutiny to the department's staffing troubles. Kelley responded with requests for the Legislature to approve funds for pay increases and more solitary confinement beds.
While outbreaks of violence appear to have subsided, staff vacancy rates remained close to 20 percent at two maximum security units, according to state records.
Metro on 06/06/2019