SCI Greene Superintendent Named Warden of the Year

HARRISBURG, Pa., July 13, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Louis S. Folino, superintendent at the State Correctional Institution at Greene, has been selected as Warden of the Year by the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents, the Department of Corrections announced today.  

Chosen from among nearly two dozen wardens and superintendents nominated across the nation, Folino is only the second Pennsylvania superintendent to receive this award in 32 years.

Folino will accept the award at the American Correctional Association's Congress of Corrections conference next month.

"If anyone has ever deserved to earn Warden of the Year honors, it is Lou,'' Corrections Secretary John Wetzel said. "His vast knowledge and professionalism has affected many through his superior leadership abilities.''

Originally from Pittsburgh, Folino has more than 33 years of correctional experience, with 25 years in management and 19 years as a department head, deputy superintendent or superintendent.

"I have enjoyed my years in corrections and would not have done it any other way,'' Folino said. "This career field is a very satisfying one.  I am honored and humbled to have been nominated and selected for this award."

Folino has also served as supervisory superintendent, often serving as a mentor for less experienced superintendents and deputy superintendents. He has provided training for new superintendents and served on many volunteer boards and committees.

In May, Folino was assigned to SCI Pittsburgh to head a new leadership team at the prison.  

"Working at SCI Pittsburgh has been a very positive experience for me, but I have been at SCI Greene for more than eight years and consider the institution, and Greene County, to be my home," Folino said.

"I have had the opportunity to work with Lou for many years, and I will also have the honor of presenting this award to him in August," said Executive Deputy Secretary Shirley Moore Smeal. "Lou is an outstanding individual who is worthy of this award based upon his exceptional management and interpersonal skills. Our department, as well as the criminal justice field in general, has benefited greatly from his dedication and talent."

Folino is recognized as a team player who takes the time to get to know prison employees and their families. A fitness enthusiast and runner, Folino has also participated in the annual Inmate Run-A-Thon for more than 15 years.  

"I consider myself to be just one of the many dedicated 700-plus employees of the facility, and we enjoy the camaraderie and teamwork in performing our daily duties," Folino said. "It is evident that the professional performance of SCI Greene's employees has resulted in the positive reputation of this facility, which is shared by everyone who works here."

After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Folino began his career as a corrections officer in 1978, working at SCIs Greensburg and Pittsburgh.  Over the next 20 years, Folino rose through the organization, earning the rank of major of the guard in 1992. He was named deputy superintendent at SCI Somerset in 1998, and, in 2003, was named superintendent of SCI Greene, a maximum-security prison.

Folino holds undergraduate degrees in administration of justice from the Community College of Allegheny County and the University of Pittsburgh, as well as a master's degree in organizational leadership from Geneva College.

Folino and his wife, Marlene, have two sons.

Media Contact:  Susan McNaughton, 717-975-4879

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Corrections