About North Central Regional Office

Michael K. Nalley
Regional Director,
North Central Region


Michael K. Nalley has over 30 years of experience in the criminal justice field. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Military Police and served three years. After being honorably discharged, he attended the University of Louisville in Louisville, KY. He served as a Police Officer in the state of Kentucky and worked as a Correctional Officer with the Metropolitan Correctional Services Department in Louisville, KY.

He began his career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons in 1981 as a Correctional Officer at FCI Lexington, KY. He went on to hold positions of increasing responsibility at USP Atlanta, FCI Texarkana, FPC Boron, Central Office, the Southeast Regional Office, and FMC Lexington. He was Associate Warden at FCI Butner and USP Terre Haute, then was promoted to Warden at FCI Ray Brook. He subsequently served as Warden during the activation of the new USP McCreary, KY. Mr. Nalley was selected to his current position as Regional Director for the North Central Region in August 2004.

Mr. Nalley authored The Correctional Officer Handbook published in 1994, which was distributed Bureau-wide. He is also credited with publishing an article "Leading and Motivating Employees to Peak Performance" in the American Correctional Association’s publication The State of Corrections 1995. He was named Federal Employee of the Year for the state of Kentucky in 1993 and Associate Warden of the Year for the Bureau’s Mid-Atlantic Region in 1999. In 2004, he received the Warden’s Award for Excellence in Prison Management. More recently, in March 2006, RD Nalley received the 2006 Truetts A. Ricks Award from Eastern Kentucky University's (EKU) College of Justice and Safety.

In his present position as Regional Director, Mr. Nalley oversees the operation of 19 Bureau facilities and a network of community corrections assets located throughout 12 mid-western states. This responsibility includes the allocation of financial and manpower resources for the North Central Region, including a staff complement of approximately 6,700 employees.