By Lori Timlin

I want to recognize the extraordinary efficiency of Heidi Schafer, OAS in Visiting at MCF-Rush City. She fields my frequent, unusual requests with grace and goes the extra mile. Most recently, an incarcerated individual gave birth on a Saturday, and she had the father and baby approved for a visit by the following Wednesday!

So much gratitude for the caliber of her work.

By Michelle Saari

The OASIS sex offender treatment program has been severely short staffed recently resulting in one full time therapist and one therapist on loan from Lino Lakes to serve the entire program. While recruitment and hiring of new staff were a priority the past few months, Vicki Schroeder (the full time Rush City staff) and Maurita Christensen (on loan from LL) held the entire program together with the amazing support assistance of OAS Kathy Hanson.

These staff have been the glue holding the unit together running programming while helping to train-in new staff. Kristin Wittwer was also a huge help training-in staff prior to her transfer to case management.

THANK YOU for your incredible work the past few months to ensure incarcerated individuals continue to receive treatment. We could not do it without you and so appreciate your work and dedication to your clients and the facility.

By Kelly Scharr

The Prison Ministry Group, Residents Encounter Christ (REC) visited MCF-Stillwater on Thursday, July 20. It is so kind of them to appreciate the hard work we do every day. The goodies and refreshments were great! We also would like to thank them for what they do for us every year and that we appreciate them as well.

By Tina M. Payton

FY23 consisted of Control Tactics and CPR recertifications. Without the below mentioned instructors we would not have been able to successfully complete our required training. Each instructor has a wide range of skills and experience in communication, listening, collaboration, adaptability, empathy, and patience, to name a few. Thank you for your hard work and dedicating your time to teach others.

I'd like to thank our OPH BLS instructors Matt Cash, Dustin Marcellus, Josh Meineke, De'Andre Moss, Nurse Ali O'Brien, Jordan Olson, Chris Roth, Elizabeth Mauricio, Logan Seever, Zina Siruk, Craig Thacker, Craig Uhl, Nick Witter and our Self-Defense/Control Tactics instructors Dominic Casalenda, Nick Minetto, De'Andre Moss, Chris Roth, Alfred Sanyaolu, Ethan Scheible, Justin Steinberg, and Chris Veith.

Congratulations to Rich Skoglund on a well deserved promotion to captain at MCF- Moose Lake! Capt. Skoglund received his Law Enforcement degree from Hibbing Technical College before completing Post Certification at Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College. Rich's career began at MCF- Lino Lakes in 1994 as a Corrections Officer prior to transferring to MCF- Moose Lake after one year.

Rich promoted to sergeant in 2009 and remained in that role until he promoted into the OSI- Special Investigator role in 2011. He completed certification as a polygraph examiner in 2017. Rich transitioned into the Lieutenant role in 2021 prior to his recent promotion to his newest leadership role.

Capt. Rich Skoglund and Warden Brian Collins

Registration for the September and November Tribal-State Relations trainings will open on July 31. Per MN Statute 10.65, Commissioners, Deputy Commissioners, and Assistant Commissioners, along with employees whose work will likely impact the 11 tribal nations in Minnesota are required to attend Tribal-State Relations Training (TSRT)

TSRT is a two-day training event held at a rotating location of one of the tribal nations within the boundaries of the State of Minnesota. Presenters include tribal leaders, staff and community members, MN tribal liaisons, and Tadd Johnson, Esq. Sessions are facilitated by Associate Professor Joseph Bauerkemper of the Tribal Sovereignty Institute at the University of Minnesota Duluth.

The cost of the training is $350. Meals and materials are included in the cost. (Cost does not include transportation or lodging expenses - see the training announcement for hotel information.)

Training and registration information can be found at: Tribes and Training TSRT Training - MnDOT

The sounds of applause and tears of joy filled a packed room at MCF-Stillwater on Tuesday to celebrate the tremendous achievements of students involved with the Transformation and Reentry through Education and Community (TREC) program.

Five graduates were honored at the ceremony. Four students earned a B.A. in Individualized Studies from Metro State University, including one of those students also earning a Paralegal Certificate from North Hennepin Community College, and one student received an A.A. degree in Liberal Arts from Minneapolis College.

TREC creates a pathway from GED/diploma to associates, bachelor’s degrees, and certificates for incarcerated students.

Over 95 percent of the people incarcerated with the Minnesota Department of Corrections will one day return to their communities. Research shows education is a key factor to success, increasing the odds of gaining employment and reducing recidivism.

Congratulations to the graduates, as well as our staff and partner organizations for helping make all this possible.

MCF-Faribault hosted a tour for staff from the State Court Administrator's Office on July 19th. Kate Malmon (Senior Project Manager) and Wally Wallestad (Court Services Division Project Owner) visited MCF-FRB as a part of their work with the Bookings Pilot and the oneCourtMN Hearings Initiative.

By Capt. Nate Bartz

Honor Guard Team Members from multiple facilites utilzed their Saturday to assist the Law Enforcement Memorial Association (LEMA) in honoring Fargo ND Police Officer and National Guardsman Jake Wallin who was tragically killed in the Line of Duty - E.O.W. 07/14/2023:

Before the funeral on Saturday, the Fargo Police Department escorted Officer Wallin from Fargo to Pequot Lakes. Dozens of people lined the streets to pay their respects and show support for the police department. In Pequot Lakes, a horse-drawn carriage escorted Wallin’s casket to the funeral service. People there also lined the streets, holding American flags to show honor and respect.

7 employees recently received Employee Recognition Award Nominations at Stillwater. Read about them below!

• Congratulations to MCF-Stillwater Officer Jorja Gale who received an Employee Recognition nomination in the category of Volunteer. Officer Gale almost singlehandedly worked to ensure MCF-STW had a nice Employee Appreciation Week. She IS the Employee Enrichment Committee (EEC). She spent countless hours outside of work to raise money for the EEC and many more hours planning and coordinating the Appreciation week including shopping, making signs, making gift bags, and soliciting local business for donations. MCF-Stillwater owes her a big thank you!
• Congratulations to MCF-Stillwater Sergeant Jordan Leese who received an Employee Recognition nomination in the category of Above and Beyond the Call of Duty. One of the items listed on the Going Home Checklist is to “Check on your colleagues before you leave: are they ok?" During the April Fools Blizzard, Sgt. Leese did just that. The blizzard started during our shift, and he organized staff to help clean off all our cars. At the end of the shift, he stayed behind and organized us to help each other get our cars out of the parking lot that had received 9 inches of wet snow. Sgt. Leese even used his own vehicle to pull a stuck car out. We all made it home safe that day because of Sgt. Leese. This is one example of the excellence indicative to the type of behavior he displays every day.
  
• Congratulations to MCF-Stillwater Sergeant Bryan Dettloff who received an Employee Recognition nomination in the category of Outstanding Individual Performance. Sgt. Dettloff is and always has been a wonderful ray of positivity as a co-worker and as a leader of a living unit. He is always upbeat, positive, and his smile can influence the mood of a living unit. You can always rely on him for advice, a laugh, support, and the knowledge and experience that he is always willing to share.
  
• Congratulations to MCF-Stillwater Sergeant Jordan Sitka who received an Employee Recognition nomination in the category of Safety. Sgt. Sitka puts the staff working under him first every day. If something doesn't make sense, he will question it if he sees a better way to approach a challenge that staff may be facing whether it is watch specific or a facility wide issue. This is an important and valued trait when it comes to proper and quality leadership.
  
• Congratulations to MCF-Stillwater Officer Shelbi Groath who received an Employee Recognition nomination in the category of Project Recognition. Officer Groath eagerly volunteered to help organize the 2nd Annual Joe Gomm “Whatever" Golf Tournament. She spent numerous hours and energy working on reaching out to businesses for sponsorships, collecting donations, making signs, and creating spreadsheets. The Stillwater CPOF Committee raised over $4,000 mainly due to her efforts.
  
• Congratulations to MCF-Stillwater Lieutenants Shane Jones and Mike Pavlich who received an Employee Recognition Nomination in the category of Leadership. Lieutenants Jones and Pavlich share their knowledge and assist with the continued teaching of Response to Resistance in the ever-changing environment of Corrections. They both ensure proper policy is enforced and make corrections if needed. They both work by the motto of “leadership by example!" Thanks to their examples, all staff have a better understanding of what it takes to be a true leader and can feel safer within these walls.
  
• Congratulations to MCF-Stillwater Lt. Shane Jones who received an Employee Recognition nomination in the category of Leadership. Congratulations to MCF-Stillwater Lt. Shane Jones who received an Employee Recognition nomination in the category of Leadership. Lt. Jones led our self-defense class during Academy. He was extremely knowledgeable and able to translate his physical abilities into usable skills. He provided great leadership throughout the course, always encouraging us to push harder while gently reminding us that our lives could depend on the skills we learned. Lt. Jones is genuine and sincere and had our best interests in mind while coaching un through training.