Corrections director Mark Masterson retiring

Longtime Sedgwick County corrections director Mark Masterson is retiring.

He worked at the county for 33 years. Masterson became the director of the corrections department in 1998.

“Mark is one of those unsung guys who works behind the scenes where the average citizen has no idea is there,” District Attorney Marc Bennett said Friday afternoon. “Through his work and leadership, we’ve done a lot of good in the community.

“The reason we didn’t build a huge, expansive addition to the jail 10-plus years ago was in no small measure because of … programs he’s initiated,” Bennett said.

Commissioner Tim Norton said Masterson has represented Sedgwick County well and has been a national presence in discussions about corrections reforms on the local level.

“He’s been so dedicated to changing if we need to, to look at new best practices and evidence-based programs,” Norton said.

County staff members and elected officials attended a retirement celebration for Masterson on Friday, where he thanked staff for his time at the county.

“We don’t get a lot of thank-you’s for the work that we do, and we don’t often get to see a lot of the results and positive impacts of our work. But they’re there,” Masterson said in a farewell video message. “This has been a very rewarding experience for me to get to spend a whole career working in Sedgwick County.”

His final day of work is Monday. Deputy director Steve Stonehouse is the interim director until a new director is hired.

This story was originally published March 18, 2016 at 5:56 PM with the headline "Corrections director Mark Masterson retiring."