Agent of change: Beth Skinner

Beth Skinner’s favorite superhero is Superman.

"He’s been my role model my entire life," she says. "Truth, justice and the American way, ever since I was a little girl."

As a child growing up in Strongsville, Ohio, Skinner would perk up when driving past police stations.

"I’d say, ‘Gosh, I really want to be a police officer.’ And my dad would say, ‘Well, girls can’t be police officers.’ I said, ‘Don’t tell me what I can or cannot do.’"

Accepting the challenge, Skinner set her sights on a career in law enforcement. Today, she’s Director of the Iowa Department of Corrections, a role that would make even the Last Son of Krypton proud.

"Superman is about making the community safe, but he’s also about treating people fairly and respectfully," she says. "That’s always been my thing. I’m committed, but very compassionate as well."

Empathy for others

Skinner felt like an underdog throughout her education, an experience that has shaped her worldview and her career.

"I think the people in our system have similar stories, and so I see them as potential for change and second chances. That’s how it all fits together for me."

The point where the dream of becoming a police officer segued into corrections came during college, when Skinner took on an internship in probation parole.

"It really fit my values as a human," she says. "I want everyone to be successful and live happy, fulfilling lives, and that includes people who make mistakes."

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"I’m proud to partner with Beth Skinner, Roxann Scheffert and Sarah Holder of the Iowa DOC, who are exceptional leaders in correctional learning. Through our collaboration, they’ve modernized training, elevated engagement and strengthened their commitment to safety, security and development. Being a finalist for the 2025 Docebo Inspire Award for ‘Best Employee Development Program’ is a testament to their vision, dedication and impact." – Christina Streetman, Customer Success Manager, Docebo

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Today, Skinner’s role as Department of Corrections Director involves a balance of security and treatment. This approach has led to an increase of people successfully completing supervision over the last three years.

"You have to have both in order to be successful, and that’s what I love about it," she says."You have the social work side and the criminology side as well, both of which I studied. You can’t go too heavy on one side or the other if you want the best outcomes."

Since ascending to the role in 2019, Skinner has built a team that tirelessly works towards that outcome.

"What drives us is people and relationships and bettering people," she says. "I’ve created a team where people feel empowered, where they can be the best they can be. That’s the stuff that gets me up every day."

Meeting challenges

Despite Skinner's keen motivation, there are challenges within the industry. Across the United States, prisons are faced with significant staffing and retention issues.

"We’ve seen a major decrease in applicants over the last few years, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic," Skinner says. "So if we want to be competitive with the private sector, we have to increase wages."

It’s a discussion Skinner regularly takes directly to the Governor's team, legislators and key stakeholders. At the moment, the starting wage for correctional officers is set to rise to US$24 per hour, which is an increase of around 20 percent.

"The other major challenge is making sure staff have the tools they need to be successful in supporting their role," she says. "So we’ve done a lot of work around training, professional development and creating career pathways to retain our people."

It’s a critical pursuit. The suicide rate among correctional staff is high.

"Historically, corrections hasn’t been big on wellness, but we know people have trauma. It’s important we take care of our staff, so we’ve developed a strategic wellness plan with the National Institute of Corrections to ensure they can go home and lead healthy lives," Skinner explains.

Changing the culture

At the heart of this agenda of change is a very deliberate cultural transformation.

"When you talk about corrections, culture isn’t a word you hear very often," Skinner says. "But in Iowa, we want to speak that language. We want to develop cultural attributes like flexibility, innovation, courage, trust and professional development, and feedback has told us our people want the same."

The next three-to-five years will, she says, be a time of ensuring staff feel supported and heard, and have the training they need to be successful.

"It’s a unique opportunity we have to really examine all of our practices, values and attitudes across the organization, as well as our ability to collaborate and communicate," Skinner adds.

"Both community-based corrections and prisons have unique cultures, and by utilizing the culture attributes, we are building a foundation for organizational success."

To that end, the Department rolled out a staff survey in 2023, and the feedback presented the hierarchical Department of Corrections with some hard truths. Skinner says that the survey presents the Department with opportunity to be a learning organization.

"We can get better as leaders, as an agency," she says. "It was a risk worth taking, and now we’re moving forward with that plan, I’m hearing people are feeling more comfortable talking about what’s on their minds. It’s made us stronger and more committed to engagement with our staff."

The Iowa Department of Corrections provides a similarly supportive post-prison support system for released inmates. Much of that support comes from nonprofits, local agencies, state resources, educational institutions and volunteers, all mutually beneficial partnerships.

"They provide apprenticeship programs, work skills, high school education," she says.

"We work with nonprofits for housing, volunteers that help develop prosocial behaviors, the National Alliance on Mental Illness for mental health hygiene and state agencies for workforce development and the Department of Transportation.

"The Department of Corrections staff also provide cognitive interventions onsite – it's strategies like this that contribute to our success as a department."

These are proven strategies to improve the lives of inmates and staff alike, practices Skinner says criminal justice agencies must get better at implementing.

"The thing that holds a lot of people back in this industry is the fear of making a wrong decision," she says. "What we know is that we can learn from the impact of our decisions and use this information as opportunity for change.

"If you don’t think that, you’re in the wrong business. Be real, be you and people will follow you."