Central Office - Industries, Education, & Vocational Training (IE&VT) Division

Paul M. Laird
Assistant Director,
Industries, Education, & Vocational Training Division


Paul M. Laird began his career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a Correctional Officer at the Federal Correctional Institution, Phoenix, AZ in 1988. Since then, he has served in various positions of increasing responsibility: Unit Manager at the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Los Angeles, CA; Executive Assistant to the Warden, Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Dublin, CA; Associate Warden at FCI Tucson, AZ and subsequently at the United States Penitentiary Florence, CO. From there, he was named Warden at the Federal Correctional Complex, Coleman, FL.

In February 2004, he was appointed Senior Deputy Assistant Director, Correctional Programs Division, at Central Office in Washington, DC. In May 2005, he was appointed Warden of MDC Brooklyn, NY, where he served until assuming his current position on April 1, 2007.

Mr. Laird received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice from Gustavus Adolphus College in St. Peter, MN in 1988. He received a Certificate in Public Administration from the University of Southern California in 2002. Mr. Laird was the recipient of a Bureau of Prisons' National Wardens' Award for Cost Containment Efforts in 2003, and the Attorney General's Award for Excellence in Information Technology in 2005. He received a Certificate for Senior Managers in Government from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University in August 2006.

Mr. Laird serves in two capacities: as Assistant Director for the Industries, Education, and Vocational Training Division and as Chief Operating Officer of Federal Prison Industries (FPI). He is responsible for education, vocational, and occupational training programs for Federal inmates nationwide.