Kevin Hanson never thought corrections would become his lifelong career.  In fact, when he took a job in Lewis County, Wash., it was just to get some experience before he followed some of his other dreams.  Fourteen years later, Hanson is still there, working as a supervisor and getting nominated for national awards. 

Recently, Hanson was named a finalist for the International Association of Correctional Officers' Supervisor of the Year Award.  He believes his strong ethical values, which color his leadership style, have helped him to stand out from the rest.

Last week, The Corrections Connection Network News talked with Hanson about his nomination and his accomplishments in Lewis County.  He also offered advice for those starting out in the corrections field.

Q: Can you talk about your current position?

Hanson: Actually, my title is administrative supervisor [or] administrative sergeant.  I am responsible for contract beds.  In other words, we contract out a certain amount of beds and I am responsible for the management of all those contracts.  I supervise alternative sanctions, which include day reporting, home monitoring and work release.  I manage that section for the bureau.  Right now, I have close to 50 people out on these programs.  I have three full-time corrections officers dedicated to that.  I am managing the fiscal aspects for the jail, so I have got one full-time clerk that does nothing but billing.

For the last four years, we have been involved in jail construction and since 2000, I have been involved in the planning phase, the construction phase and the transition phase.

I am fully responsible for the electrical system in this facility.  I have been involved in hiring 15 additional corrections officers; I have done background investigations and hundred of interviews.

Q: What is your background?

Hanson: I graduated from college with a two-year degree in electronics in 1989.  I became interested in being a fish and wildlife officer, but they required some law enforcement experience.  Well, one of my friends worked for the jail and he was telling me about what he did in the jail and I thought that would give me some good law enforcement experience to move on and become a fish and wildlife officer.  In 1991, I was hired as an entry level correctional officer.  By late 1992, I had about a year and a half on [the job] and I was selected to be a field training officer for new correctional officers.  Then, in 1994, the sergeant's promotional exam came up and I was qualified for that because you need two years of college and [a few] years as a correctional officer.  I came out number one on the [test] and I was promoted to sergeant in 1995.  Since 1995, I have been a line level correctional supervisor.  I have been a programming sergeant, which was the field training coordinator. I helped to create the chain gang program over here for our county.  I started a firewood cutting program where I arranged for local lumber mills to donate wood to the sheriff's office and then I purchased handsaws for the inmates to hand cut and split firewood.  Then we donated it to the local senior center.  I managed transport as part of that program. 

I manage the interstate cooperative relay system; I was in charge of fugitives.  I was the emergency response team commander supervisor.  I was a program sergeant.  Then, as administrative sergeant, I took over the jail's medical program and mental health [program].   I took over the volunteers, [too].

In between those times in 2000, I was asked to be involved in the construction process of the new jail.  I have been through the design process with the architects.  I have been through the construction phase with the contractors and I was transition coordinator, along with one of the other sergeants.  We moved from an 85-bed facility to a 356-bed facility.  It was quite a project; [it took] four years.

Q: At what point did you decide to stay in the corrections field rather than becoming a fish and game officer?

Hanson: [I decided to make corrections my career] in 1995, when I got promoted and, then, of course I started having kids.  I was starting to raise a family - a young family - and I enjoyed leading people.  I just kind-of decided that this is where I will stay.  I  plan on working here for another 20-something years until I retire.  In Washington state, you have to work until you are 60.  I aspire to be the chief of this bureau some day.

Q: What do you do outside of work?

Hanson: I have a family - five children.  Two of them are in college and the other ones are six-years-old, 11-years old and 14-years old.  They are all involved in sports.  I have been a soccer coach for two of my children.  I volunteer my time for the United Way.  I [also] fish.

Q: What makes you a good leader?

Hanson: My philosophical views on supervision [make me a good leader].  I do not look at myself as a supervisor, I look at myself as a leader.  I am strong into mission - what are we about? Where do we want to go?  I lead my people based on that philosophy - mission and vision.  I kind-of term it as this: you have got and umbrella and, when standing in the rain, the umbrella keeps you dry.  I take that analogy and I try to use [it].  The mission is my umbrella and my people [are under it].  As long as they stay underneath that umbrella, which is the mission of the sheriff's office, including ethics and values, I will protect my employees to the world's end.  But, the moment they step outside that umbrella, they are going to get wet and there's nothing I can do to keep them dry.  That is kind of my philosophy in a nutshell.

One of my other goals is I try to find ways to allow my employees to fill my position some day.  [I] mentor them to afford them opportunities to move through their careers, such as I have.  I think it's my role as a supervisor, as a leader, to mentor these people so that when I leave and go do something different, I know there are going to be people I have trained to step up and fill my shoes in a competent, ethical manner.

I look at the jail as a business.  We are hired by the taxpayers to provide a service to the community. I look at the sheriff's office as a business.  To me, it's no different than a business in the public sector that hires people to produce a widget.  You want to try to produce widgets [in the most] economic way and as quickly as you can.  We are working for the taxpayers.  They pay our salaries.  They pay our bills.  They pay all that stuff.  [We] have a moral obligation to those people to produce the best quality product and services that we can with what we have.

Q: Why do you believe you were nominated for this award?

Hanson: Probably for [my performance on the job], my ethical values, my strong desire to do the right thing for the right reasons, my leadership skills and qualities and my ability to create programs to do what is best for the community. 

Q: What advice do you have for people entering the corrections field?

Hanson: I would say that one of the biggest things is to know what the mission of the department is.  Know where the leaders in the department want to go.  Don't be afraid to speak to the sheriff or the director or the warden to ask them about their philosophical views.  I think that is important in any aspect of your job because if you know what it is that your leaders want you to do and where they want you to go, it makes it easier for yourself.  For people who work for me, I tell them those things - this is where I want to go.  They know what it is I want and what it is going to take to get there.

[Also], don't be afraid to ask for additional training.  Don't be afraid to tell your supervisor that [you] want to be sergeant someday [and you] want [him or her] to help [you] get there.  If an employee comes to me and tells me that, it makes me feel good inside and makes me want to do all that much more for them. 

Q: What accomplishments in your career are you most proud of?

Hanson: [I am most proud of] doing things for the community, like the firewood cutting program I put together.  We have a lot of low-income seniors the community.  I think it's great that we can use the inmates' services to provide a valuable resource to our community.  [And] we have taught the [inmates] something along the way about work ethics by making them cut the wood, split it and deliver it to the seniors.  I am very proud of that. I am very proud to help take care of the people who are in need in this county.