Harrisburg, PA – Derek Oberlander, a 15-year veteran of the Department of Corrections (DOC) with more than 20-years of criminal justice experience, has been appointed superintendent of the State Correctional Institution (SCI) at Forest. His appointment was effective March 23, 2019.
As superintendent of SCI Forest, Oberlander is responsible for overseeing 655 employees and 2,300 inmates.
"Derek is a well-rounded corrections expert who has a military background, an understanding of facility infrastructure, parole supervision experience and upper management experience in our prisons," said Executive Deputy Secretary for Institutional Operations Tabb Bickell. "His prison management skills, specifically the violence reduction efforts led at SCI Forest, have served as examples for other prison administrators."
Oberlander began his corrections career as an electronic trades instructor in 2004 at SCI Forest. In 2005, he was promoted to a corrections facility maintenance manager 1, and in 2009, he was promoted to a corrections facility maintenance manager 3 while at SCI Forest. In 2011, he accepted a position with the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole as a parole agent. In August 2013, he was named acting supervisor for the Franklin Sub-Office.
He returned to the DOC and, from 2014 to 2019, served as deputy superintendent for facility management and deputy superintendent for centralized services. While deputy superintendent, he co-chaired the prison's Violence Reduction Committee and has been credited with reducing violence at the prison since the "Operation Stop Violence" program was begun in 2015.
Prior to joining the department, Oberlander worked as a project manager and engineer for engineering firms in the criminal justice market sector and participated in several capital construction projects for correctional and government facilities, including serving on the construction management team that oversaw the construction of SCI Forest. Oberlander is also a veteran of the United States Marine Corps, where he served as a Military Police Officer and as an Embassy Guard at the American Embassies in the Central African Republic and N'Djamena Chad.
A graduate of Clarion Area High School in Clarion, Pa., Oberlander has a Bachelor of Science degree from Duquesne University, a Master of Science degree from California University of PA and a Master of Arts degree from Liberty University. He is a 2008 graduate of the Pennsylvania Criminal Justice Executive Institute. He is also a member of the Vulnerability Analysis Team and is a certified Security Analysis and Project Management Instructor.
Oberlander is a member of the PA Prison Wardens Association, the American Correctional Association and the American Counseling Association. He also serves on the board of directors for the Armstrong, Indiana and Clarion County Drug and Alcohol Commission.
MEDIA CONTACT: Lisa Reeher, 814-621-2110
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