Deputy director of Arizona’s Department of Corrections is Sanders’ pick as secretary of Arkansas’ Department of Corrections

Profiri arrives as crowding an issue

FILE — Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks to the attendees of the Association of Arkansas Counties 54th Annual Conference in this August 12, 2022 file photo.
FILE — Sarah Huckabee Sanders speaks to the attendees of the Association of Arkansas Counties 54th Annual Conference in this August 12, 2022 file photo.

Governor-elect Sarah Huckabee Sanders announced in a news release Tuesday that she will nominate Joe Profiri, a "key" player for the Arizona Department of Corrections, as secretary of the Arkansas Department of Corrections.

Sanders cited Profiri's experience in correctional oversight among the reasons for the appointment.

"His background and experiences, not only at the managerial level but more importantly as a correctional officer in Arizona, have uniquely prepared him to lead our Corrections Department with accountability, integrity, and professionalism," Sanders said in the release.

Profiri will replace Arkansas Department of Corrections Secretary Solomon Graves, who helped oversee the agency's response to the covid-19 pandemic.

Profiri served in several capacities with the Arizona Department of Corrections, beginning as a correctional officer in 1988, according to the release. He was promoted into the Inspector General's Bureau as a criminal investigator, becoming interim deputy inspector general. From there, he moved to prison operations, where he was appointed to his current role in 2018.

"The work of corrections to keep communities safe by professionally retaining violent, repeat offenders and adequately preparing offender populations for reintegration is challenging but a passion of mine," Profiri said in the release. "I am honored to accept the Governor-elect's nomination and to bring my dedication and skills to Arkansas.

"Governor-elect Sanders has a bold plan to reduce crime, and I look forward to joining her in that critical work along with her new choice for Secretary of Public Safety Captain [Mike]Hagar."

Profiri, an Arizona native, also has served as a police officer with the Coolidge Police Department and a deputy sheriff with the Maricopa County sheriff's office. Profiri has worked for Immigration Customs Enforcement as a contracted senior expert analyst who helped the agency evaluate its programs, operations and productivity of detention management at federal detention facilities.

In 2019, Profiri briefly led the Arizona Department of Correction as its acting director after Director Charles Ryan retired following an investigation that found years of mismanagement at the department, including faulty locks inside state prisons and poor living conditions for inmates. Profiri returned to his role as deputy director after Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey appointed David Shinn to lead the agency.

Judd Deere, a spokesman for Sanders' said Profiri's salary was not yet determined. Graves, the outgoing secretary for the Department of Corrections, has an annual salary of $162,168.

State Rep. Carol Dalby, chair of the House Judiciary Committee, had little reaction to the news that Sanders had nominated Profiri to lead the Department of Corrections.

"I don't know anything about him," said Dalby, a Republican from Texarkana. "I'm going to look forward to getting to know and work with him."

If confirmed, Profiri could play a key role in the upcoming legislative session as lawmakers will discuss funding for expanding jails and prison space as options for dealing with overcrowding. In March, a group of sheriffs told legislators prison overcrowding has reached a crisis point.

In November, the Arkansas Board of Correction gave the go-ahead to state officials to begin the search for a site for a new state prison and to look into contracting with prisons in other states to address overcrowding. Graves estimated if the state's inmate population continues to grow by 1.3% every year, the corrections system will need an additional 2,200 beds by 2032.

Profiri has a bachelor's degree from Grand Canyon University and is a member of the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents, the Arizona Probation, Parole and Corrections Association and the American Correctional Association, according to Tuesday's news release.

Profiri is the second Arizonan to join Sanders' incoming administration after the governor-elect named Gretchen Conger as her chief of staff. Conger worked for Gov. Doug Ducey as a legislative director and then deputy chief of staff.

State government currently has 15 executive branch departments headed by secretaries. Profiri's nomination is the 10th announced by Sanders.

The others include:

• Jacob Oliva, who has been senior chancellor for the Florida Department of Education, as secretary for the Arkansas Department of Education to replace Johnny Key.

• Kristi Putnam, a former deputy secretary of Kentucky's Cabinet for Health and Family Service, as secretary of the Department of Human Services. The current secretary, Mark White, will serve as the department's chief of staff.

• Hugh McDonald, a former president and chief executive officer of Entergy Arkansas Inc., as secretary of the Department of Commerce to replace Mike Preston.

• Mike Mills as secretary of the Department of Parks, Heritage and Tourism to replace Stacy Hurst. Mills is the founder and owner of Buffalo Outdoor Center in Ponca, which was Arkansas' first log cabin resort. From 1982 to 1986 he served as Arkansas' director of tourism, where he started Partners in Tourism.

• Hagar, an Arkansas State Police captain, as secretary of the Department of Public Safety and director of the Arkansas State Police. The current department secretary A.J. Gary will continue as director of the division of Emergency Management.

• The reappointment of Larry Walther as secretary of the Department of Finance and Administration.

• The reappointment of Department of Agriculture Secretary Wes Ward.

• Shane Khoury as secretary of the Department of Energy and Environment to replace Becky Keogh. Khoury is currently chief counsel at the department.

• Washington County Judge Joseph Wood as secretary of the state Department of Transformation and Shared Services to replace Mitch Rouse.

The other executive branch departments include Health, Inspector General, Labor and Licensing, Military, and Veterans Affairs.

Sanders, a former White House press secretary for President Donald Trump, will be sworn in as governor Jan. 10, succeeding term-limited Gov. Asa Hutchinson, who has served as governor since 2015.

Information for this article was contributed by Michael R. Wickline of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

CORRECTION: A.J. Gary, the current secretary of the Arkansas Department of Public Safety, will continue to serve as director of the Division of Emergency Management under Sanders’ administration. An earlier version of this story incorrectly identified Gary.

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