Julie Lawson has been appointed as the new permanent director of The DuComb Center, St. Joseph County Community Corrections’ work release facility. Lawson had been serving as interim director since February, and the St. Joseph County Board of Commissioners officially appointed her to the role on Tuesday.
To fill the vacancy, the Community Corrections Advisory Board must submit a candidate or candidates for consideration to the Board of Commissioners. Lawson was the recommended choice when the name came before the board.
“There is nothing in the statutes that requires us to take the name or names given to us,” said Carl Baxmeyer, president of the Board of Commissioners. “It’s a recommendation, but in this case it was an easy choice, because they recommended Julie Lawson.”
Lawson took over the position following the firing of former director Sharon McBride, who was fired amid an investigation into staffing issues, overtime abuse, and improper financial transactions. Baxmyer declined to elaborate on the investigation because it’s ongoing.
Baxmeyer said Lawson’s six-month tenure as interim director demonstrated her ability to address the issues she inherited.
“Julie has some ideas about how to work with our judges to increase the use of DuComb Center,” Baxmeyer said. “With regard to facility maintenance and other internal issues, Julie believes we can do a better job of utilizing resources.”
