(BOP) -The Bureau of Prisons and the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) announce the recent appointment of Dr. Alix M. McLearen as the Acting Director of NIC following Shaina Vanek's departure for a detail at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Bureau of Prisons Director, Colette Peters, made the selection and stated, "The work Dr. McLearen has done towards building the foundation of the Bureau's Reentry mission is essential to helping formerly incarcerated individuals succeed and become good neighbors. Her background and years of experience will benefit the field of corrections at all levels through her new role with the National Institute of Corrections."
Dr. McLearen joined the Bureau of Prisons as a Staff Psychologist at FCC Coleman (FL) in 2003 and held positions of increasing responsibility, including serving as Chief Psychologist at FCI Memphis (TN). In 2014, after completing an executive detail at the National Institute of Justice, she became the Reentry Services Division (RSD) Women and Special Populations Branch National Administrator. Dr. McLearen was named Senior Deputy Assistant Director for RSD in 2020. In December 2021, she was appointed as the Acting Assistant Director of the Reentry Services Division, a position she held until Director Peters appointed her as the Acting Director of NIC.
Dr. McLearen has been integral in developing and advancing the Bureau's Reentry Services Division. She is a strong proponent of the First Step Act, and, under her direction and guidance, the division has added hundreds of new program delivery positions to the agency's staffing complement, launched an improved Employee Assistance Program, broadened the scope of vocational services and psychological interventions, and expanded opportunities for inmates with special needs.
As the Acting Director for NIC, Dr. McLearen will oversee the advancement of public safety by shaping and enhancing correctional policies and practices through leadership, learning, and innovation. By providing practical assistance in planning and implementing improvements at the federal, state, tribal and local levels, NIC contributes to cost efficiency and effectiveness in such areas as planning, design, and operation of new jails, prisons, and community corrections programs, offender workforce development programs, and offender classification and risk assessment. NIC also influences correctional policies, practices, and operations nationwide in areas of emerging interest and concern to correctional executives and practitioners, as well as public policymakers.
Dr. McLearen received her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and the Law from the University of Alabama in 2003. She is a licensed clinical psychologist and published author. In 2018, she received the Myrl E. Alexander Award for innovations in corrections. She has been a member of the Senior Executive Service since 2020.