Sierra Leonean Excels in the US
The Warden (Director of Prison) for Toledo Correctional Institution's in Ohio has been promoted to director of that prison and 15 others in northern Ohio, including Allen Correctional Institution and Oakwood Correctional Facility in Lima, the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction has announced.
Khelleh Y. Konteh, a 23-year department veteran and a Sierra Leone native, will assume the job of north regional director of prisons on Sunday.
He has been the only warden at all-male Toledo Correctional Institution in North Toledo, which opened in 2000. Mr. Konteh's successor has not yet been appointed. Keith Smith, deputy warden of operations, will be acting as warden until Mr. Konteh's successor is named.
While warden at Toledo Correctional Institution, Mr. Konteh was named "Best in the Business 2007" by the American Correctional Association's Corrections Today magazine, and was honored by the Ohio House of Representatives for his initiatives to return offenders to the community.
Mr. Konteh began working for the corrections department in 1984 as a regional sales manager for Ohio Penal Industries, and rose to deputy director as a result of hard work.
He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Franklin University and a Master of Business Administration degree from Central Michigan University.
Toledo Correctional Institution has about 370 employees and 1,100 inmates.