Leadership Profile

New Field Administrator Strives to Show Offenders a Different Way of Being

By Joseph L. Mitchell, DOC Communications Office

East Section One Field Administrator Debra Conner

Field Administrator Debra Conner’s interest in crime and criminals became evident when she was a very young girl. Conner began writing papers about the American jail system while in the seventh grade. A few years later, Conner would ride the bus from her high school in Cheney, Washington to Spokane where she would attend court hearings.

“I used to sit in on trials and litigations,” Conner explains. “I don’t know why I was so fascinated by the subject matter. No one in my family had a law enforcement background. Both of my parents were educators.”

Conner’s mother has a master’s degree in education and was a school teacher. Her father has a doctorate in education and was a professor at Eastern Washington University. Conner eventually followed her parents’ path and became an educator, albeit briefly, and she did it in a way that was consistent with her long term career plans.

“Eastern had an exchange program for professors that allowed them to teach at various colleges around the world,” she explained. “One summer when I was in high school, my dad went to teach at in Morelia, Mexico. I went with him and volunteered to teach English at the Michoacan State Penitentiary to a class of 15 male offenders.”

Conner has been with the Department of Corrections since 1986. She earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Eastern Washington University. After competing an internship with the Department of Corrections at what was then known as Geiger Pre-Release, she was hired to work there as a Corrections Officer.

“My career so far has been anything but boring,” says Conner. “It is full of events, places and times and is brightly highlighted by the people there with me. I have had the privilege of working with so many wonderful people. Some are no longer with us and some I rarely see, but the memories of times shared in the trenches have formed a lifelong bond that remains regardless of time and place.”

Conner assisted in the renovation and temporary move of the offender population from Geiger to the lower campus of Eastern State Hospital. The operation was later moved into the new Eastern Washington Pre-Release (EWPR) facility which is now Pine Lodge Corrections Center.

She promoted to Community Corrections Officer (CCO) in 1988 and became a CCO2 after one year. Conner continued at EWPR until 1990 when she took a position as a CCO2 in the Port Angeles Field office. After transferring back to Spokane and working as a CCO in the Intensive Drug Unit, Spokane Valley Office and at Brownstone Work Release, she was promoted to a Community Corrections Supervisor 1 position in 1994.

Conner’s star continued to rise. In 1998 she was promoted to Community Corrections Supervisor 2 and directed operations at the Brownstone Work Release facility for nine years.

When the Offender Accountability Act was passed by the legislature directing DOC to conduct its own hearings, Conner created the Northeast Hearings Liaison Unit (NEHLU) to manage the violations process. The unit was responsible for representing Community Corrections Officers (CCOs) in violations hearings and transporting offenders to violator facilities.

“NEHLU set the trend for units of this type across the state,” said Conner. “They have provided tremendous support to the CCOs in taking on this time-consuming aspect of their work.”

During her tenure at Brownstone, Conner was also responsible for leading a $1 million renovation of the building that made it one of the better maintained work release facilities in the state.

“It is important for us to set the tone for reentry by providing a nice, clean, well maintained environment for offenders,” she said. “It now looks like a Starbucks in there.”

In 2006, Brownstone Work Release achieved American Corrections Association (ACA) accreditation with a score of 100% on both mandatory and non-mandatory standards. Brownstone was the first facility in the state to achieve a perfect score for both mandatory and non-mandatory ACA standards.

“This was the result of a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of the great staff at that facility,” said Conner. “Brownstone was my best job ever. I loved working with the offenders and custody staff there. Running your own shop was a kick in the pants.”

Conner was selected as the Community Corrections Supervisor of the Year in 2005. Last month, she was appointed as the Field Administrator for East Region Section One. Conner has been acting in the position since August 2007.

“I have always tried to give my best at work, especially as I am getting older,” said Conner. “I have tried more and more to focus on those areas where I can grow as a human being.”

Conner believes that anyone entering the corrections field should have a clear idea of who they are as a human being and what they are trying to accomplish.

“They must have a basic desire to help people,” she said. “This work is all about planting seeds and showing people different ways of being. If you don’t help someone become a better person, you haven’t accomplished much.”

Conner and her husband enjoy international travel and experiencing other cultures. They have been on church mission trips to China, Israel and Russia.

“My favorite quote comes from the Book of Deuteronomy,” she said. “Hear O’ Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul and all your strength.”

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