DOC promotes first Black woman as deputy warden of Louisiana’s largest prison

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The Department of Corrections recently promoted Deputy Assistant Secretary Rochelle Ambeau to the position of Deputy Warden at Louisiana State Penitentiary.

Ambeau is the third Black woman to serve as a deputy warden for the Louisiana Department of Corrections. However, she is the first Black woman to serve as deputy warden of Louisiana’s largest prison, Louisiana State Penitentiary.

“Rochelle is a highly-qualified individual who brings decades of corrections experience to her new position. Rochelle joined the Department in 1992 as a corrections officer at Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (LCIW). She has risen through the ranks, serving as the agency’s first Corrections Transition Specialist in 2005, and was promoted in 2014 to Deputy Assistant Secretary in Reentry,” said Department of Corrections spokesman Ken Pastorick.

Secretary Jimmy Le Blanc recently created the Division of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within the Department of Corrections. DEI is responsible for effectively developing a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization and is committed to continually fostering an equitable and inclusive environment for staff and the prisoner population.

“DEI provides leadership and support to ensure that the values of diversity, equity and inclusion are vital components in all decisions that impact the people whom we serve to include applicants for employment, staff, the incarcerated, families of the incarcerated, visitors, and volunteers,” Pastorick added. “Initiatives of DEI include, but are not limited to, reviewing and making recommendations to practices and policies regarding: staff recruitment and selection; professional development and training; and areas that impact opportunities provided to the incarcerated. DEI provides mandatory diversity training to all staff.”

“I appreciate the confidence of Secretary Le Blanc and Warden Tim Hooper in my ability to help lead Louisiana’s largest prison. The Deputy Warden’s position is an exciting and challenging continuum of my 27-year career in public service. This is an opportunity to showcase the betterment of our governmental systems when members of various and diverse communities are represented in leadership and management positions. While humbled by this opportunity, I am also uniquely equipped for the challenges it presents,” Ambeau added.

Ambeau officially assumes her new role as Deputy Warden at LSP on Monday, March 28, 2022.

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