ICPA Elects New President and Treasurer at Belfast AGM

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The result gives the global network of corrections and prison leaders a complete leadership team with representation from three continents as they join sitting Vice-President, Kim Ekhaugen (Norway).  

Heidi Washington brings nearly three decades of experience to the role of President. As Director of the Michigan Department of Corrections, one of the largest and most complex correctional systems in the United States, she oversees 26 prisons with a prison population of approximately 33,000 people, as well as probation and parole supervision for a further 110,000 people across the state's 83 counties. 

Appointed Director in 2015 and reappointed in 2019, Ms Washington has spent 28 years with the Department, serving as Warden, Acting Operations Administrator, and Legislative Liaison. Her leadership has delivered three nationally acclaimed Vocational Villages, expanded post-secondary education in prisons, established a Wellness Unit to support staff, retirees and their families, and modernised facilities through investment in technology. 

Ms Washington brings extensive national and international leadership experience in the field. She joined the ICPA Board in 2023 and became President of the ICPA North America Chapter in 2025. 

"I look forward to building on the strengths of our international community by creating more opportunities for heads of service to learn from one another, by strengthening connections across our membership, and through broadening our face-to-face discussions to address gaps in knowledge and practice," said Ms Washington. 

David Brown has led the South Australian Department for Correctional Services as Chief Executive since 2012, guiding a sustained period of reform across custodial operations, community corrections and rehabilitation. His career spans three Australian jurisdictions and both the public and private sectors, beginning in 1993 as a Custodial Correctional Officer. 

Mr Brown joined the ICPA Board in 2021 and served as Acting President over the past year. During that time, he helped deliver the inaugural International Research in Corrections Conference in New Zealand in March 2026 and established ICPA’s First Nations and Indigenous Network, two milestones that demonstrate ICPA's global reach in expanding humane and evidence-based correctional practice. 

"I am honoured that the international community has chosen me as Treasurer. Having served as Acting President this year, I have seen first-hand how much our members rely on the Association being well run, and I am committed to managing its resources with care so that every region benefits from the work we do together," said Mr Brown. 

Ms Washington and Mr Brown will work alongside the existing and newly elected Board of Directors to continue to share ethical and effective correctional practices to enhance public safety and healthier communities world-wide.