SILVER SPRING, MD, April 17, 2017 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Helen Corrothers has been included in Marquis Who's Who. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals profiled are selected based on current reference value. Factors such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and prominence in a field are all considered during the selection process.
Commissioner Corrothers is a highly experienced criminal justice official with a rousing background of military experience, state corrections, and federal service. She began her career, as a teenager, by earning an associate degree in Liberal Arts from Arkansas Baptist College in 1955. Enlisting in the U.S. Army in 1956, she climbed the ranks from non-commissioned officer to commissioned officer Captain. On the day of her graduation with a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration-Management from Roosevelt University in 1965, she entered Officer Leadership School. By 1969, she had served her country, with distinction, in various locations in the United States, the far East (Okinawa, Japan) and Europe (Germany). Noteable military positions included: Chief of Military Personnel at Fort Myer, Virginia and Director of Housing and the only woman on the Commander's staff in Giessen, Germany. As Director for Housing, she had responsibility for all military housing in Giessen and three additional cities. Commissioner Corrothers' military honors included Distinguished Military Graduate from Officer Leadership School, Good Conduct Medal, National Defense Service Medal and the Army Commendation Medal from the U.S. Defense Secretary.
After leaving military service and returning to the United States, Commissioner Corrothers became Superintendent of the Women's Unit of the Arkansas Department of Corrections where she led that facility to become the first prison in the state to achieve national accreditation. Her active participation in her professional association, the American Correctional Association (ACA), led to her becoming its first African American officer and woman Treasurer in its 119 year history in 1980, and later becoming its President in 1991. She completed the Institute of Criminal Justice at the University of Chicago in 1973 and during the 1980's completed numerous courses in Business Management. Her sterling reputation came to the attention of the President of the United States, Ronald Reagan who in 1983, offered her an appointment to the U.S. Parole Commission with command of the fourteen-states & possession of Guam -Western Region. This position in California included quasi-judicial duties to include the issuance of Summons, Warrants, and Subpoenas that were executed by the United Sates Marshals Service. During this tenure, the President asked her to relocate to Washington, D. C. for a second full-time appointment. This time she received a Judicial appointment from President Reagan to the US Sentencing Commission, was confirmed by the United States Senate, oath of office administered by the Chief Justice of the US Supreme Court and served from 1985 to 1991. Later, she became a Fellow with the Research arm of the U.S. Department of Justice, the National Institute of Justice until 1995. She has been serving as a Criminal Justice Consultant since 1996. Continuing with her professional association, the ACA which is dedicated to the improvement of national and international corrections to include the training and development of correctional professionals - she currently serves on the Ethics Committee and the Policy-making body the Delegate Assembly.
Students have benefited from her real-world experience in criminal justice classes she taught at the Universities of Arkansas and Maryland. After receiving the Volunteers of America's Maud Booth Award, for her exceptional service for rehabilitation of offenders in 1984, she served on its National Board until 1991. In 1983, she received the American Correctional Association's lifetime achievement award (E.R. Cass) along with personal commendation for her contributions to the field of corrections from then President of the United States, William (Bill) Clinton. Among her many additional honors -- she is the recipient of the Human Relations Award from the Arkansas Education Association, The Outstanding Woman Achievement Award from Arkansas KATV-TV, included in the permanent United States Congressional Record via entry by U.S. Senator David Pryor, and, the William H. Hastie Award from the National Association for Blacks in Criminal Justice. For her work on behalf of victims of crime, recognition has come from the U.S. Department of Justice's Office for Victims of Crime and the Outstanding Victim Advocacy Award from the National Victims Center.
A significant honor was to be requested by the White House to testify before the Judiciary Committee of the U.S. Senate on behalf of the Supreme Court Nominee Stephen Breyer during his 1994 Confirmation Hearings. In 2014 she received from the Governor of the State of Maryland, the Governor's Volunteer Service Award for her community involvement. In 2015, she was selected to serve on the General Mission Board for the Southern Baptist Convention of MD/Delaware. She has also been honored with features in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the East, Who's Who in the South and Southwest, Who's Who of American Women and Who's Who in the World.
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