Douglas Dretke
Director of the Office of Comparative and International Education and Leadership, Sam Houston State University, United States
Doug Dretke is the Director of the Office of Comparative and International Education and Leadership within the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University (SHSU). He retired as the Executive Director of the Correctional Management Institute (CMIT) at SHSU after serving 17 years. Doug served 26 years with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) beginning as a correctional officer and advancing throughout his career. He held senior and executive leadership positions for 13 years, including Warden, Regional Director and Director of TDCJ’s Correctional Institutions Division, responsible for over 100 prison facilities.
Mr. Dretke is active with associations including the American Probation and Parole Association, American Jail Association, North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents, International Corrections and Prisons Association (ICPA), and the American Correctional Association (ACA). He is currently Chair of the ACA Resolutions and Policy Committee, member of ACA’s International Committee, and past Chair of the Professional Certification Commission. Doug is a Board Member of the ICPA – North America Chapter and Deputy Chair of ICPA’s Staff Training and Professional Development Network. Doug is a past president of the Texas Corrections Association and received the Dr. George J Beto Hall of Honor Award in 2009 recognizing his significant achievements to the correctional profession. Doug was recently selected as the 2024 recipient of ACA’s E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award – ACA’s highest honor. Doug earned a Bachelor of Science in Criminology and Corrections from SHSU and a Master of Public Administration from Texas A&M, Corpus Christi.