South Dakota DOC Secretary to Resign

South Dakota Gov. Larry Rhoden has announced that Department of Corrections Secretary Kellie Wasko will resign from her position, effective Oct. 20.  

“I have been discussing this decision with my family over the course of the last few months and made the decision to seek other opportunities,” Wasko wrote in her Sept. 1 letter to the Governor. 

Wasko began her career as a correctional nurse in 1999 and spent years working within the Idaho and Colorado state correctional systems. She held the position of Deputy Executive Director of the Colorado Department of Corrections for six years before taking a CEO/President role with private firm Correctional Health Providers in 2019. 

In February 2022, Wasko was appointed South Dakota DOC Secretary by then-Gov. Kristi Noem, and officially assumed the role the following month.  

In her resignation letter, Wasko listed some of the achievements and policies she advocated for during her tenure, including increased correctional officer pay and decreased staff vacancies, a “comprehensive reentry program” for released inmates, an office to investigate crimes in prisons, curing 300 inmates of Hepatits C, reducing inmate escapes and more. 

“I have worked diligently for the last [three-and-a-half] years to improve the Department of Corrections and I know I am leaving it far better than I found it,” wrote Wasko. 

However, her resignation is expected to clear the way for state lawmakers to approve a task force-recommended $650 million plan to build a new 1,500-bed men’s prison in Sioux Falls. The plan will be voted on in a legislative special session in Pierre on Sept. 23.