SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — Gov. Kristi Noem has announced her choice as South Dakota’s new Secretary of Corrections.
Kellie Wasko is the CEO of Correctional Health Partners, a Colorado-based company providing healthcare services to correctional facilities. She previously spent 16 years in Colorado’s corrections department, most recently as Deputy Executive Director.
Wasko replaces Mike Liedholt, who was placed on administrative leave and later retired after a whistleblower complained of sexual harassment, nepotism and other offenses at the state penitentiary in Sioux Falls.
Tim Reisch and Doug Clark each filled the seat in an interim capacity. Reich retired in December. Clark will return to his role as Deputy Secretary of Corrections when Wasko’s term begins on March 7.
A registered nurse, Wasko got her start as a staff nurse in Colorado before moving up the ranks in the state’s corrections department.
“Kellie will bring an abundance of experience and a steady hand to the South Dakota Department of Corrections,” Noem said in a release announcing Wasko’s hiring. “Her experience in corrections reform and her career-long work on correctional healthcare make it clear that she will prioritize the health and safety of both our corrections officers and the men and women confined at our facilities. We are excited to welcome her to the team and to South Dakota.”
