WCBC

December 11th, 2013 by WCBC Radio

Governor Martin O’Malley announced the departure and replacement of Secretary Gary Maynard of the Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS). Governor Martin O’Malley appointed Mr. Maynard as Secretary in 2007, bringing more than 30 years of wide-ranging experience in administrative corrections to the State of Maryland. Prior to his appointment, Maynard served as Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections. Maynard has also served as Director of the Department of Corrections in both South Carolina as well as Oklahoma. 

“Gary's tireless work over the last six years to make our correctional institutions safer and more secure has paved the way for stronger, safer communities across the State of Maryland," said Governor O’Malley. “From the closure of one of the most dangerous prisons in the country in just 12 days, to planting over a million trees to help with Bay restoration, Gary Maynard’s resolute leadership and better choices have led to better results for Maryland families. We are extremely grateful for his faithful service to our state and look forward to working with Deputy Secretary Gregg Hershberger as he assumes his new post as Acting Secretary."

Maynard’s tenure is marked with successful programmatic upgrades and managerial accomplishments, including the successful closure of one of the most violent prisons in the nation in just 12 days. His oversight of the deconstruction resulted in five million dollars in savings for the State. Mr. Maynard also streamlined the DPSCS command structure into regional divisions and established a new model for reentry covering treatment, training, education, community and state partnerships. Together, these efforts helped to drive down Maryland’s recidivism from just under 50% in 2007 to 40.5% in 2012. In addition, under Maynard’s leadership, DPSCS implemented strategies that drove down serious assaults on staff in Maryland prisons by almost 60 percent since 2007.

Upon his departure, Mr. Maynard will join the Criminal Justice Institute (CJI) where he will serve as Senior Vice President. CJI is a private, non-profit national firm with more than 35 years of professional experience providing services to federal, state, county and municipal criminal justice agencies. Established in 1978, CJI specializes in consultation, research, and information dissemination services for prisons and jail systems. The firm has regional offices in Hagerstown, Md.; Reno, Nev.; Middletown, Conn.; and, Flat Rock, N.C.

”These past seven years have been the most challenging and rewarding of my entire career. The dedication of the employees of this Department is remarkable. They have taught me so much, and as a team we have met many challenges. They have done the impossible and deserve great credit,” said Secretary Maynard. “I want to thank Governor O’Malley for the opportunity to serve the citizens of Maryland. His faith in my and this Department made it possible for us to have as much success in the last seven years as we’ve had.”

Gregg Hershberger currently serves as the Deputy Secretary for Operations for DPSCS, and will take over the department with more than 31 years of experience. Mr. Hershberger joined the Department after graduating from Elizabethtown College in 1976. He began his work with the department as a Correctional Officer at the Maryland Correctional Training Center (MCTC), before becoming a Classification Counselor, also known as a case manager, in the fall of 1983. He worked at the MCTC in a number of capacities before he was promoted to Case Management Supervisor in October 2001.

Later, Hershberger accepted a position as Facility Administrator at the MCTC pre-release complex in December 2005. In December 2006, he was elevated to Assistant Warden, then Warden at Roxbury Correctional Institution (RCI) in July 2009. Among the other positions he has held within the department, Mr. Hershberger also served as a hostage negotiator and defensive tactics instructor.