CMIT Emerging Leadership Training Welcomes Kosovo Leader

The Correctional Management Institute of Texas (CMIT) hosted its bi-annual Emerging Senior Leadership conference, one of many programs the agency offers to officials from prisons, jails, and community corrections throughout the state, and internationally, to offer training and professional development based on the latest scientific studies available. The 32-hour program welcomed senior leadership from around the state as well as Nehat Thaqi, Director General of the Kosovo Correctional Service.

Thaqi was particularly interested in implementing more United States corrections processes into the Kosovo system. The director general said the U.S. system is the best example to follow when looking for best practices to implement.

“That’s our goal, we are trying to develop our state with best practices and we want to bring them back, especially trainings on correctional and security issues,” he said. “There are a lot of things discussed this week that were valuable and I plan on implementing them when I get back home, especially discussing emotional intelligence. That was new for me.”

CMIT’s expertise has been recognized internationally and it frequently hosts foreign officials and students in the criminal justice field, including representatives from Colombia, Korea, Poland, Mexico, the Czech Republic, Suriname, Jamaica, Bahamas, Trinidad & Tobago, and now Kosovo, to name a few. Its programs cover all aspects of the system, including probation, parole, prisons and jails.

The Director General’s goal is to continue improving the Kosovo system and appreciated the opportunity to learn from experts in the field in the U.S. He hopes to return with a group of his leaders for a future training through CMIT.

The program also welcomed Eric J. Williams, chair of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice at Sonoma State University, Cherie Townsend, project director for The Moss Group, Inc., and Marcus Gillespie, associate dean of assessment and curriculum in the College of Sciences at Sam Houston State University, to facilitate sessions on decision-making, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence.

“It was an absolute honor for the Director General of the Republic of Kosovo’s Prison Services to join us for our Senior Leadership Program here at CMIT. He provided unique insights into leadership challenges and truly enriched the program for all of our participants representing the spectrum of corrections,” said Doug Dretke, Executive Director of CMIT. “We are grateful for our partnership with the U.S. State Department, serving as a professional development resource for correctional leadership around the world, and providing a unique opportunity for Texas correctional leadership to interact with their international peers.”

In addition to offering ongoing programs for senior and mid-management leadership, CMIT sponsors conferences on evolving topics, such as drugs, gangs, women working in criminal justice, and mental health issues.

To provide cutting-edge information to the field, CMIT also conducts research on emerging issues, often within the very agencies they serve. It also coordinates with the College of Criminal Justice on important research topics that affect the agenda, including such recent issues as specialty courts, education, and employee issues.

The next Emerging Senior Leadership training will be the week of October 14, 2019. For more information on this event or other training opportunities, contact Angela Semar, program specialist, at 936-294-1640 or at asemar@shsu.edu.