Kellie Wasko began her correctional career more than 28 years ago as a correctional nurse. She has worked with juvenile and adult corrections through various jurisdictions, in prisons and jails. Before joining Falcon in October 2025, she spent 3 ½ years as the Secretary of Corrections in South Dakota, where she led innovative and modern changes to the correctional system. While serving as the Secretary, she coordinated the centralization of all clinical services from 3 state agencies to one, to include establishing a dedicated DOC-operated pharmacy and implementation of a utilization management program. She established a modern reentry program, enhanced security features across all 8 state prisons, and accomplished 96% correctional officer staffing levels. She established programs, policies, and procedures that emulated industry best practices and laid the foundation for correctional excellence.

Before joining the South Dakota DOC, Ms Wasko served as the CEO/President of Correctional Health Partners, where she led a company providing direct care in jail health services and third-party administration in large correctional operations.  She joined CHP after retiring from the Colorado Department of Corrections in 2019, where she had served as the Deputy Executive Director for more than 6 years, as well as the Director of Clinical and Correctional Services, Assistant Director of Prisons, Warden to 4 institutions, Associate Warden to 2 institutions, Health Services Administrator, Nurse manager, and line nurse. During her career in Colorado, she participated in and led the executive team through groundbreaking reforms to restrictive housing. She was the first health authority to secure funding to treat every Hepatitis C-infected offender with direct-acting anti-viral medications. She created incentive-based living units in male and female facilities and established the first prison dedicated as a Residential Treatment Program for more than 300 offenders with serious mental illness.

Ms. Wasko has had a diverse and rich correctional career that she attributes to her core profession as a registered nurse. Earning nursing degrees from Weber State and Boise State Universities, she has maintained her credentials and nursing skills throughout her career. She is a member of the American Correctional Association, where she has chaired numerous Committees and sat on the Board of Governors, is a board member of the Association of Women Executives in Corrections, and is an associate member of the Correctional Leaders Association. Kellie has been honored to receive the Colorado Medal of Valor in 2005, the Colorado Medal of Merit in 2007, the National Correctional Healthcare Leadership Award in 2018, and the distinguished Tom Clements Innovation Award in 2025.