s a publication for alumni and friends - University of Central Missouri

alumni
today
alumni today
IN THIS SECTION:
• Now Is a Very Exciting Time
for CMSU
• Sanders Hits the Blues on a
National Scale
• U.S., CMSU Give Solano New
Home and Career
• Tailgates Pump Up Alumni for
Some Big Games
• CMSU Balloon Amazes Alumni
in Reno, Albuquerque
CMSU alumna Helen Marberry ’82, ’83 is the first female warden of a federal correctional institution in Ann Arbor, MI.
Marberry Secures Reputation as Warden
Helen J. Marberry runs a tight ship. Credited
as being the first female warden at the federal
correctional institution just outside of Ann Arbor, MI,
Marberry has made a career of keeping the public safe
and helping people who have been imprisoned to
find a better life.
The CMSU alumna has worked in the field of
criminal justice for more than 20 years as a case
manager, social worker, associate warden, and warden
of the Milan facility. Now overseer of more than 1,500
federal prisoners, Marberry said her desire to make
a difference started even before she became a CMSU
criminal justice student in 1978.
Inspired by stories her mother told as a cook in a
St. Louis halfway house, Marberry said she knew early
on her life would lead to a career in public service.
“[Working in criminal justice] was a way for me
to give back to the community,” said Marberry. “I’ve
always seen myself as somewhat of a public servant.”
Marberry earned a bachelor’s degree at CMSU
in 1982 and her master’s a year later. She worked
with both police officials and the St. Louis-based
community organization, Operation Safe Streets.
Eventually, she became involved with the National
Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice and found
her calling in the Bureau of Prisons.
Marberry said she’s faced a number of challenges
as a woman in corrections but said the essential
difference a female warden brings to the prison
community is the “approach.”
“We talk,” said Marberry. “We try to resolve issues.
(continued to page 21)
page 20 central today
winter 2005