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Department of Corrections
Gilpin and Thomas to Serve as Deputy Wardens at Northpoint Training Center
Department of Corrections Deputy Commissioner Al Parke today announced the appointment of David Gilpin and the transfer of Julie Thomas to the Deputy Warden positions at Northpoint Training Center (NTC). Gilpin will begin his duties at NTC on April 26th. Thomas’ transfer will be effective on May 3rd.
Gilpin began his career in corrections in 1974 as a Correctional Officer at Kentucky State Reformatory. He worked there until 1980 when he was promoted to lieutenant and moved to Luther Luckett Correctional Complex. From 1983 to 1991 Gilpin served at Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women and Eastern Kentucky Correctional Complex (EKCC) as a captain. In 1991 he was promoted to Correctional Unit Administrator and remained at EKCC until he retired in January 1997. After retirement, Gilpin returned to work for Corrections Corporation of America where he served as Assistant Warden at Lee Adjustment Center (LAC) from 1997 to 2000. In 2000 he was promoted to Warden and remained at LAC. In 2003 Gilpin moved to the Marion County Jail in Indianapolis where he served as Warden until he retired again in March 2006.
While serving for the Kentucky Department of Corrections, Gilpin was a recipient of the Commissioner’s Outstanding Employee Award.
“Gilpin is an experienced corrections professional having served in both the public and private sectors,” said Parke. “He has a wealth of knowledge in the field of security and will be a real asset to Northpoint Training Center.”
Gilpin is currently living in Indianapolis but is looking forward to returning to his home state of Kentucky where he will reside with his wife, Janet.
The transfer of Deputy Warden Julie Thomas from Blackburn Correctional Complex to Northpoint Training Center will allow Thomas to return to her native Boyle County and to the prison where she began her Corrections career 24 years ago.
“It’s always a positive thing when we can bring someone in for this type of leadership role who has not only excelled in several positions during their time with the Department, but also knows the institution and the community,” said Parke. “We believe that Julie Thomas will be a valuable asset to the management of Northpoint Training Center.”
Thomas is a 26-year veteran of state employment. She first worked with hearing impaired children at the Kentucky School for the Deaf beginning in 1984. Three years later she joined the Department of Corrections as a correctional officer at Northpoint Training Center. While there she worked for a short time as an administrative assistant to the warden and grievance coordinator before being promoted to sergeant in 1989.
In 1994, Thomas was special-detailed to Central Office and for approximately four to five months assisted the parole board in completing parole revocation warrants. She was promoted to lieutenant at Northpoint in 1999 and that same year was named “Supervisor of the Year,” at the prison.
While Thomas was conducting a disciplinary hearing in April 2002, she was taken hostage by an inmate at Northpoint. The inmate held a can lid to her throat but Thomas was able to fight off the attack. Later that year she received a Commissioner’s Award. During her tenure at NTC, Thomas served as a hostage negotiator and was also a member of the prison’s accreditation team for several years.
In January 2003, Thomas was assigned a state monitor’s position under the Contract Management Division. She monitored the contract at the Marion Adjustment Center and also inspected halfway houses in Lexington, Louisville, Paducah, and Owensboro.
In March 2006 Thomas was named acting branch manager of Offender Information at Central Office. She was promoted to the position on a permanent basis in December 2006.
In November 2009 Thomas was promoted to Deputy Warden at the Blackburn Correctional Complex in Lexington.
Thomas is a 2007 graduate of the Commissioner’s Executive Leadership Program. She is a current resident of Danville where she lives with her husband, Randy.
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