2023 E.R. Cass Awards

 
Congratulations to the 2023 winners of ACA’s prestigious E.R. Cass Correctional Achievement Award: Michelle-Staples-Horne (Georgia); Gary C. Mohr (Ohio); Viola Riggin (Kansas) and Derrick Schofield (Florida). The awardees will be honored at a banquet held during the 153rd Congress of Correction in Philadelphia. 

Michelle Staples-Horne
Medical Director
Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice 

Michelle Staples-Horne, M.D., has been medical director for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice for more than 20 years and is responsible for the clinical supervision of medical services to youths served by the department in 27 facilities across the state. Dr. Staples-Horne received her medical degree from the Morehouse School of Medicine, and her Master of Public Health in health policy and management from Emory University in Atlanta. She holds both a Bachelor of Science and a Master of Science in biology from Clark Atlanta University with research experience in biochemistry and microbiology. Her clinical experience includes Pediatrics at Columbia University’s Babies Hospital in New York and Preventive Medicine at Morehouse School of Medicine. She is a certified correctional health professional. Dr. Staples-Horne currently serves on the ACA’s Delegate Assembly and the Health Care Committee. Dr. Staples-Horne is past president of the Society of Correctional Physicians and a member of the Juvenile Health Committee of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. She has conducted training for ACA, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, the National Institute of Corrections and the National Partnership for Juvenile Services. Dr. Staples-Horne has authored over 25 publications for several scientific journals, magazine articles and book chapters on correctional health care. 

Gary C. Mohr
Consultant
Gary Mohr has more than 40 years of correctional experience and a national reputation for innovative and efficient prison management. From January 2011 to August 2018, Mohr served as Director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (OH DRC) and is currently doing consulting work for the North Carolina Department of Correction.  Starting in 2002, Mohr served as deputy director and superintendent of the Ohio Department of Youth Services. Previously, he was deputy director for administration at the OH DRC, as well as a deputy director in the agency’s Office of Prisons, where he supervised, mentored and advised a region of Ohio’s wardens. Additionally, Mohr has served as warden at the Ross Correctional Institutional, Chillicothe Correctional Institution and Correction Reception Center. From 1992 to 1994, Mohr served as director of the Governor’s Office of Criminal Justice, where he led the investigation into the cause of the 1993 Lucasville riot. He also chaired the Governor’s Task Force on Gun Violence. In 2005, Mohr founded Mohr Correctional Insight, where he advised CoreCivic [formerly Corrections Corporation of America] in areas of staff leadership and development and implementing unit management. Gary Mohr has served in many offices with the American Correctional Association including as the 106th President, Treasurer, President Elect and Past President. He also served on the ACA Standards Committee and Co-Chaired the ACA Restrictive Housing Committee.


Viola Riggin, BHSA, CHSA, CCE
Chief Executive Officer
VitalCore Health Strategies, LLC
 
Viola Riggin is founder and majority partner of Vital Core Health Strategies, LLC and serves as Chief Executive Officer. She has worked in corrections for over 39 years and is recognized as a national expert in the field of correctional health care. From 2002 to 2018, Ms. Riggin served as the Executive Director of Health Care Services for the University of Kansas Medical Center in its oversight role for the Kansas Department of Corrections’ health care contract. She began her corrections career in classification and records in 1984 and moved to health care management by 1989. Since 1992, Ms. Riggin has worked in health care management at the state and national level for several health care companies that have provided health care services to incarcerated populations. Her educational background is in health care administration and information technology. Ms. Riggin is a current member of ACA’s Board of Governors, Certification Commission, Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Health Care Committee and Policies and Resolutions Committee. She has received many awards during her years of service, most notably: the 2006 National Council of State Governments Innovations Award; the 2006 Kansas Public Health Association Corporate Public Health Services Award; 1989 and 1992 Employee of the Year Award, Correctional Medical Services; Prison Health Services Employee of the Year Award 1996, 1999, and 2001; and 2006 KDOC Contract Employee of the Year. In 2013, Ms. Riggin received the Prestigious Coalition of Correctional Health Authority Leadership Award.
 
Derrick D. Schofield, Ph.D., 
Executive Vice President
The GEO Group, Inc.
 
Derrick Schofield brings more than 30 years of industry experience, joining The GEO Group in 2016. In early 2017, he also assumed responsibility for the Reentry Division. Prior to joining GEO, Dr. Schofield had a distinguished career working in state correctional systems in Georgia and Tennessee for 26 years. He served most recently as Commissioner of the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC). Prior to being Commissioner, Dr. Schofield held numerous positions in the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) to include Warden, Assistant Commissioner, Chief of Staff, Director of Facility Operations, and Warden. His work in both Georgia and Tennessee has had significant positive impact on offender accountability and rehabilitation. Throughout his career both in Georgia and Tennessee, Dr. Schofield has demonstrated his ability to ensure effective correctional supervision, accountability, and rehabilitation programs-from running the first GDC Therapeutic Community (TC) at Lee Arrendale State Prison, to creating a seamless offender supervision model in Tennessee.  Dr. Schofield holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, a master’s degree in public administration and a Ph.D. in organizational leadership. He is a graduate of Georgia's Law Enforcement Command College. He is an U.S. Army Veteran, where he earned the rank of Captain. Dr. Schofield is also an active member of the American Correctional Association (ACA) and has served on the ACA Executive Committee as a representative for the Board of Governors.