Rhode Island DOC Director Wayne Salisbury to Join Rikers Island Reform Team
By Lindsey Coulter
Earlier this month, Wayne Salisbury, Director of the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, announced to employees that he will step down from his post to take on a new role with the U.S. District Court-appointed receiver overseeing efforts to reform New York’s Rikers Island jail complex. Salisbury will work under Remediation Manager Nick Deml and along recently appointed Close Rikers Czar Dana Kaplan to address safety, staffing, operational and other ongoing challenges.
Salisbury has spent a lifetime in public service. At age 19, he entered the military. After six years on active duty, he began a corrections career that would span nearly four decades, taking him from the front lines as a correctional officer to the top post at the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, where he focused on practical, mission-driven and people-centered leadership.
Now, Salisbury is preparing for a new assignment: joining the team charged with helping reform New York City’s Rikers Island jail complex. He calls the opportunity to join the reform effort a rare professional challenge, especially given the role’s potential to make meaningful and lasting impact. While acknowledging the complexity of the task ahead, he said the possibility of helping drive needed change made the career move compelling.
“It’s a next-level challenge,” he said of the new role. “I am admittedly nervous … but I am not afraid of the work. The opportunity seems ripe to really affect change. It is a chance to make a difference not only for the staff, but for the population they serve.”
That confidence comes from experience earned at every level of the profession, including more than three years of leading Rhode Island’s correctional system through operational, cultural and infrastructure advancements. During his tenure with the department, which will end in late June, Salisbury and his team launched a formal five-year strategic plan and pursued ambitious initiatives to lower recidivism rates — efforts he looks forward to watching evolve after his departure.
During his time as Director, Salisbury has also prioritized employees, creating a leadership academy focused on mentorship, emotional intelligence and professional growth. The effort reflected his belief that strong institutions are built by developing leaders at every level, not only at the executive tier.
“It has been genuinely rewarding to watch individuals across this department develop, take on new challenges, and flourish in their roles,” he said. “The talent, dedication, and professionalism within this team are extraordinary, and they are the true reason behind any success we have achieved.”
That focus on people extended beyond staff development. Salisbury spoke about the great responsibility of leading an agency that includes thousands of employees, incarcerated people and community supervision populations. For Salisbury, who views corrections not simply as operations management but as stewardship over people and public trust, the most difficult part of the director role was the possibility of tragedy — whether loss of life, employee trauma or crises affecting those in custody.
To ensure a smooth transition and continuity of care, Salisbury aims to finalize key appointments, maintain momentum on software modernization efforts and ensure continuity for the next leadership team. He has emphasized leaving systems stronger and teams better positioned than when he arrived. He also leaves behind major capital improvements, including housing unit renovations, restored locking systems and a $40 million HVAC project at the state jail.
For a leader whose career has been defined by accountability, resilience and service, the next chapter appears consistent with the first. Salisbury is heading toward one of corrections’ most visible challenges, carrying decades of operational knowledge and a belief that institutions can improve.