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EBENSBURG, Pa. – Cambria County Prison Capt. Kurt Wolford is set to become the prison’s new warden, following in the footsteps of his father, William Wolford, who was warden of the old Cambria County Jail and oversaw the construction of the current prison.
The Cambria County Prison Board recommended Wolford to serve as warden during a public meeting Wednesday at the prison, 425 Manor Drive, Ebensburg.
“Thirty years ago, this May 23, my father, who was warden at the county’s old jail in downtown Ebensburg, broke ground on the prison I work in today – the prison I will be warden of – so it’s more than just a job: it’s carrying on a legacy,” Wolford said.
“It’s building something special within this county. I always thought this prison was special in regard to other county prisons. And I want to work to fix some of the problems we have and take us into the next generation of leadership in corrections. I’m excited, to say the least.”
The recommendation to hire Wolford caps the prison board’s search to find a replacement for former Warden Christian Smith, who retired in January.
Wolford was unanimously recommended by all prison board members, including all three county commissioners – Scott Hunt, Thomas Chernisky and Keith Rager – as well as Sheriff Don Robertson, District Attorney Greg Neugebauer, President Judge Linda Fleming and County Controller Ed Cernic Jr.
Rager, Hunt and Chernisky are scheduled to officially adopt the recommendation Thursday during a 10 a.m. public meeting of the commissioners at Mount Aloysius College, where they will vote to transfer Wolford from full-time captain to full-time warden at an annual salary of $83,183, effective April 12.
Deputy Warden Craig Descavish has been serving temporarily as warden since the search for a full-time replacement for Smith began.
With the county commissioners set to approve the prison board’s recommendation Thursday, Wolford would be slated to officially begin work as warden when Descavish retires in April.
“He earned it,” Chernisky said. “I know he will have full support of the prison board and commissioners. It’s cool that his dad was also a warden. I’m sure he’s looking down on him and is proud of him.”
William Wolford died in 2015. He was warden from 1989 to 1996 and was succeeded by wardens Marty Kovacs, John Prebish and then Smith.
“I still remember when I was a kid, probably 9 or 10 years old, he took me over to his office at the old jail and was telling me how important it was to work hard for the people who are under you, to make their lives a little bit better and the importance of dedicating yourself to public service,” Wolford said. “I remember it like it was yesterday.”
Wolford, 39, has worked at the prison since 2008, starting as a per-diem officer and rising through the ranks to security captain.
He keeps memorabilia from his father’s time as warden in his office.
“I have the Bible that was given to him, inscribed with ‘Warden Wolford,’” he said. “It was given to him on my first birthday when he was warden.
“There’s a lot of tradition that was very meaningful to him, and he was very very dedicated to his staff. Before he left, he got an award for service and dedication to his staff, which is not something that normally happens.”
Wolford said he plans to bring the same dedication to the prison’s staff members that his father had.
Employee retention has been a challenge for the prison since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have some of the youngest staff we’ve ever had here because of the turnover, so to me, focusing on training and building them up as leaders in corrections and in their community is a huge deal for me,” Wolford said. “We have a lot of good staff members here. I think through the years, Cambria County has set itself a step above when it comes to corrections, and I want to continue that and make it better.”
Wolford rose to the top of a group of nine candidates who applied for the position.
John Prebish, former Cambria County Prison warden from 2004 until becoming a magisterial district judge in 2016, served as a consultant for the prison board during interviews of the candidates.
“I put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into the place, and I want to see it do well,” he said.
Prebish was at the Wednesday prison board meeting to congratulate Wolford. It was a “full circle moment” for both of them.
Prebish was hired by William Wolford in 1990 and remembers Kurt when he was a small child. Decades later as warden, Prebish again met Kurt, standing at 6-feet-7-inches tall and applying for a corrections officer job.
Prebish hired him and said he quickly became one of his best employees.
“It’s bittersweet to see things come full circle,” Prebish said.
“He has a lot of his dad’s drive. His dad was stoic but would give you the shirt off his back; Kurt would do the same thing, but he’s jovial. With his personality, I think he will shine. He cares about people. Kurt really wants to make it the best facility around. I think he’s the right person for this job. He has good core values, and he wants to be there for staff, which is a big thing. The prison has had a tough time keeping employees since COVID. He’s a good administrator, and he will do well with that.”
Don Robertson, Prison Board chairman, said Wolford has worked up through the ranks from corrections officer to frontline supervisor to captain and to security captain.
“He’s passionate about corrections and goes in there with a smile on his face every day,” Robertson said. “He’s a very enthusiastic individual. I think he is going to be an excellent warden.”
Wolford said he’s looked for statistics on how many father-son warden duos there’s ever been and has found no other examples.
“It’s humbling is to carry on the legacy that my dad has,” Wolford said. “That means everything to me.”
Russ O’Reilly is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @RussellOReilly.
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