Pahrump Valley Times

Charlotte Collins started work March 3 as the new warden of the Nevada Southern Detention Center, the third warden in the 18 months since the facility opened.

Collins takes the reins from Roddie Rushing, who resigned suddenly in January after taking the job in May 2011. Rushing replaced Joe Ponte, the warden who opened the facility in October 2010, who was offered a job as director of the Maine Department of Corrections in January 2011.

Collins joined Corrections Corporation of America in 1989 as a classification case manager at a former CCA facility in Venus, Texas and as a unit manager at the Cleveland, Ohio pre-release center formerly operated by CCA. She was promoted to chief of unit classification at the Barlett State Jail in Bartlett, Texas, where she was also program manager.

Collins continued up the chain of promotion, being named assistant warden at the Elizabeth Detention Center in Elizabeth, N.J. where she later became warden before coming to Pahrump.

Fernando Rodriguez is the new assistant warden, he took over for Dan Prado, who was the acting warden after Rushing’s departure.

Rodriguez worked for a CCA facility in Laredo, Texas for 13 years, working his way up the ranks from corrections officer, before coming to Pahrump.

He sought to reaffirm the CCA commitment to being good community partners.

“The security and safety of the community will always be our first priority,” Rodriguez said.

The two administrators will oversee a facility housing up to 1,072 detainees awaiting trial in federal court or deportation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

Corrections Corporation of America has over 60 private detention facilities with 87,000 beds in 19 states and the District of Columbia.