BELLEFONTE — The Centre County Correctional Facility will have its first female warden after the county Prison Board approved the appointment of longtime corrections employee Danielle Minarchick.
The board unanimously approved Minarchick’s appointment during a special meeting held Sept. 2. She succeeds retiring Warden Glenn Irwin, whose career in corrections spans more than 40 years. Minarchick officially assumed the position at 4 p.m. on Sept. 4.
Minarchick has worked at the Centre County Correctional Facility since 2005 and was promoted to deputy warden for administration in 2023. In that role, she oversaw treatment services, medical services and food service staff.
The appointment followed two rounds of interviews conducted by the Prison Board.
“It was a very difficult decision and we had to do two separate rounds of interviews to figure out exactly where we wanted to go,” Commissioner Mark Higgins said.
Commissioner Amber Concepcion praised the dedication demonstrated by the candidates during the interview process, particularly their focus on staff, safety and helping incarcerated individuals prepare to return to the community.
“One of the things that really came through was the dedication that you both have to running a really well-run facility,” Concepcion said.
Minarchick has played a significant role in expanding treatment and rehabilitation efforts at the facility. According to the county, she developed an in-house re-entry program designed to assist people with substance use disorder and mental health concerns and became a certified instructor in mental health first aid and trauma-informed care.
She also helped implement the facility’s Medication Assisted Treatment Program.
“Over her career, she has shown great leadership skills and will continue to be a great asset to the facility moving forward,” Irwin said in a county news release.
Judge Julia Rater said the interview process gave her confidence in the leadership already in place at the correctional facility.
“I learned a lot during your interviews and it made me so comfortable with the leadership that we have,” Rater said.
Irwin credited the strength of his leadership team as he prepares to leave the facility.
“I’ve been very blessed to have two great deputies and a great captain,” Irwin said. “We do the team effort up here.”
Following the vote, Minarchick briefly thanked the board and said she was “excited and eager to work with the staff.”
The next Prison Board meeting will be held on Thurs. Sept. 10 at 8 a.m.
