Central Office - Correctional Programs Division

Joyce K. Conley, Ph.D.
Assistant Director,
Correctional Programs Division


On May 27, 2007, Joyce K. Conley officially assumed the position of Assistant Director of the Correctional Programs Division (CPD). In her current role, Dr. Conley directs all critical inmate management and program functions for the entire Bureau, including security, emergency planning, intelligence gathering and sharing, case management, delivery of mental health and religious services, community corrections, oversight of private and contract correctional facilities, and inmate transportation.

Dr. Conley has a varied educational background, receiving a B.A. in Psychology and Music in 1973 from Bucknell University, Lewisburg, PA; an M.A (1975) and Ph.D. (1978) in Music Theory from Ohio State University, Columbus, OH; and an M.A. (1985) and Ph.D. (1987) in Clinical Psychology from the California School of Professional Psychology, Los Angeles, CA.

Preceding her career as a correctional psychologist and administrator, Dr. Conley was an Assistant Professor of Music Theory at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor (1978-82), during which time she co-authored two music theory textbooks published by W.W. Norton. Dr. Conley served as a Clinical Psychologist at the Los Angeles County Jail prior to joining the Bureau in 1989.

Over the course of her career with the Bureau, Dr. Conley has served in various positions of increasing responsibility: Staff Psychologist (1989-90) and Chief Psychologist (1990-92) at MDC Los Angeles, CA; Deputy Psychology Services Administrator, Central Office, Washington, DC (1992-95); Associate Warden at FCI Butner, NC (1995-97), and then at USP Terre Haute, IN (1997-99). She was subsequently selected as Warden of FCI Beckley, WV and served in that capacity from January 1999 to June 2002. Dr. Conley then served as Sr. Deputy AD in the Administration Division for two years, before moving to Sr. Deputy AD of CPD in June 2004, a position she held until being selected as AD.

Dr. Conley chaired the Inmate Skills Development Re-engineering workgroup, formed in October 2000, which culminated in the establishment of the Inmate Skills Development Branch in July 2003. She serves as co-chair for the oversight committee responsible for implementing the Bureau's re-entry skills development initiatives to equip inmates with the necessary skills and resources to succeed upon release.

In addition to her regular Bureau responsibilities, for the past 18 months Dr. Conley has been a member of the U.S. delegation to the G-8 Lyon-Roma Anti-Crime and Terrorism Group, serving as lead for the G-8 Terrorist Recruitment in Prisons Project. Dr. Conley is a member of the American Correctional Association and a founding member of the Association of Executive Women in Corrections. She has served as a training faculty member for NIC's Executive Leadership for Women program (1996-2001) and was appointed to the Federal Senior Executive Service in May 2000. Among her distinctions, Dr. Conley received the Bureau's 2005 Norman A. Carlson award.