Leadership Profile

Risk Taking and a Willingness to Work at Different Locations Across the State Has Paid Off for New Clallam Bay Associate Superintendent  

By Joseph L. Mitchell, DOC Communications Office

Michael Obenland is the associate superintendent for operations at Clallam Bay Corrections Center
Michael Obenland is the Associate Superintendent for
Operations at Clallam Bay Corrections Center.

What Michael Obenland enjoys most about working for the Department of Corrections is the sheer diversity of everything the agency has to offer – the variety of people, the various custody levels and the different programs.

“What appeals to me are the differences in the things we do,” says the Pasco native who was promoted to associate superintendent for operations at Clallam Bay Corrections Center last month. “DOC is so big and there are so many things that have to happen to make it all work. It’s really amazing.”

During Obenland’s 20-year tenure at DOC he’s worked at large maximum-security prisons, small minimum-security prisons and everything in between, giving him the diverse experience needed to be effective in his new position.

“Mike has excelled at every facility he’s worked,” said Clallam Bay Superintendent Ron Fraker. “His background gives him an understanding of corrections that makes this a good fit for him and for us.”  

Obenland began his criminal justice career after a brief foray into the building trade’s field.

“I was working construction in the mid-1980’s. It was cold and wet and I decided it wasn’t for me,” he explained. He entered the Thurston County deputy reserve program in 1986.

 “You had to volunteer time to work in their jail before you could become a police officer. I worked there for three years on a temporary basis, decided I liked it and applied to work for the state,” he said.  Obenland started at DOC in an intermittent position at Clallam Bay as correctional officer in 1989.

“While at Clallam Bay I got a call from the reformatory and was offered a probationary job. I accepted and moved to Monroe,” he said. Obenland worked a correctional officer at Monroe until he was promoted to sergeant at Coyote Ridge when it opened in 1992. He gained a lieutenant promotion in 1994 and remained there until 1998 when he was selected for a captain’s post at Cedar Creek.  He transferred to Stafford Creek as a captain at the end of 1999.

“The State was facing a budget crisis in 2006 and my position at Stafford Creek was cut,” said Obenland. He returned to a captain’s position at Cedar Creek until his recent promotion to associate superintendent at Clallam Bay.

Obenland wants the public to understand that the people who do corrections work have the most difficult job in the world.

“There are some very tough cases we have to deal with,” he explains. He also believes that DOC is a great untapped resource for community partnerships. “We have teams that are trained to track people that could be used to help find missing persons. I’d like to see some of our resources advertised and utilized a little better.”

 For people just starting out in corrections, Obenland offers advice from his own path to success.

“Be willing to move around and experience it,” he suggests. “Open up opportunities for yourself and your family to live and work in different parts of the state. It will give you a well-rounded sense of how the department works that makes you more marketable. Learn from people who are doing the right thing.”

Obenland is currently pursuing a bachelor’s degree in public administration. His wife Sheri is a grievance coordinator at Stafford Creek. The Obenland’s have three children and enjoy outdoor activities.  

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