Learning from Domestic and International Partners
March 8, 2019
Perhaps surprising to many within the United States, our initiation to the nature and implementation of evidence-informed (or evidence-based) policies and practices was imported from Canada. This fact illustrates the benefits of international exchange and assistance. The presenters in this session will highlight the potential benefits of international participation, sharing what we can offer and opening minds to what we might receive. International interaction provides you with the opportunity to enhance your capacity as a “thought leader” within your own jurisdiction. Through active exchanges of criminal justice system dynamics, innovations, challenges, research, and knowledge, we can increase our own transformative leadership role as executives within our organizations.
Roundtable Discussion Facilitators: Doug Dretke and George Keiser
About the Facilitators
Doug Dretke serves as executive director of the Correctional Management Institute at Sam Houston State University. This Institute serves training and professional development needs of criminal justice and correctional professionals across the broad spectrum of the criminal justice system. As an Adjunct Faculty member, he also teaches Correctional Systems and Practices within the College of Criminal Justice at SHSU.
Dretke is active with a number of state and national professional associations, including the American Probation and Parole Association, the American Jail Association, the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents, and the American Corrections Association. He is a Board Member of the International Corrections and Prison Association-North America Chapter. He is very active in a number of international exchanges, training, and initiatives.
George M. Keiser began his career on the institutional side of corrections, with work ranging from Min-Max Security to correctional officer and then counselor and superintendent, However, the bulk of his 50-plus year career has been spent with community corrections. Notably, he was the architect of the Iowa Community Corrections Act, which transferred community corrections operations from the state to multi-county regional agencies, governed by Boards of Directors.
For 28 years Keiser served as the Chief of Community Corrections for the National Institute of Corrections. During his time at NIC, his staff introduced and initiated implementation of evidence-based policy and practice. They also spearheaded legislation adopted by 50 states, D.C., and U.S. Territories governing the Interstate Compact for probation and parole cases, they and introduced gender-specific initiatives.
His career has included providing international services, including the delivery of papers in Armenia, Bulgaria, Canada, China, England, Georgia, and Namibia. Keiser is currently the CEO of Keiser and Associates, LLC.