Montgomery County Names Susan Malagari as Warden of Detention Services

Montgomery County officials have announced that Susan Malagari is the new Warden for the county’s Detention Services Division. She begins her new job on Nov. 23rd.

According to a news release, Malagari is the first woman to serve as Warden in Montgomery County. She is also the first county employee to rise through the ranks of the department and achieve the position of Warden.

Malagari is a 26-year veteran of the department. She began her career with the department on January 30, 1989 as a Correctional Specialist. That same year Malagari was promoted to Correctional Specialist III working at the Montgomery County Pre-Release Facility. In 1994 she returned to the Detention Services Division as a Classification Specialist III and was promoted to the rank of Deputy Warden of the Inmate Services Division in 2005. As Deputy Warden of Inmate Services, Malagari oversaw many of the programs put in place when MCCF opened, including education, substance abuse services, volunteer services and many other programs of change.

Since April 1, 2013, she has served as the Deputy Warden of the Montgomery County Detention Center. This facility serves as the intake assessment and diagnostic function for all new arrests and intakes into our correctional system. Throughout her service to the department, Deputy Warden Malagari has made numerous significant contributions to the exceptional correctional system we have today. In 1999, she was appointed by then Director Arthur Wallenstein to serve on the transition team tasked with the construction and opening of the Montgomery County Correctional Facility. Deputy Warden Malagari and a highly skilled team of correctional staff ensured that every policy, procedure, protocol and function of that building was prepared for occupancy. In March 2003, the Department of Correction and Rehabilitation had a very successful and safe transition into this new facility, in great part due to the work of Malagari and the transition team.

Malagari is the recipient of 10 commendations and awards for her work in the correctional field. She has served on the Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse Advisory Council, assisting the County in setting substance abuse intervention policies. She served four years as the elected Secretary of the Maryland Criminal Justice Association and is a member of the Maryland Correctional Administrators Association, the American Correctional Association and the American Jail Association.

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