Mike Haddon

Background

About Mike Haddon

From January 2023 to January 2024, I served as Executive Director for Project Reality, an Opioid Treatment Program here in Utah. In December of 2020, I began service as the Director of Administrative Services for the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. In October 2018 I was appointed by Utah Governor Gary Herbert and confirmed by the Utah Senate as Executive Director of the Utah Department of Corrections. I served in this role until December 2020. For the past 11 years prior to that, I served as the Deputy Director of the Utah Department of Corrections. As part of the Executive Team, I am involved on a daily basis in making strategic decisions and plans for the operation of the department. As a team, we work with division directors in developing strategy and resolving immediate and long term issues. I also work with many stakeholders that are involved in our operations. Also in this role, I have worked with the Finance Bureau with the development and tracking of a $260 million budget, and work as the legislative liaison during yearly General Legislative Sessions and interim meetings. Prior to moving to the Department of Corrections, I served 14 years conducting research for the Commission on Criminal and Juvenile Justice in the Utah Governor's Office - with the last several years working in the capacity of Director of Research. In this capacity, my team completed many outcome evaluations, policy analyses, and original research on topics spanning the adult and juvenile justice system in Utah. During this time, our work was recognized nationally 8 different times. In 2005, I was awarded the United States Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, the G. Paul Sylvestre Award for Outstanding Achievement in Advancing Criminal Justice Statistis in the States. From 2007 to 2018 I also worked as an Adjunct Professor in the Weber State University Criminal Justice program. For most of these years, I would alternate - semester to semester - teaching Criminal Justice Research Methods and Criminal Justice Statistics. Towards the end, I was teaching two other courses - the American Jail and Corrections in the Community. When I was appointed Executive Director of Corrections, I no longer had the spare time to teach. I completed my undergraduate work at Boise State University with a degree in Political Science and a minor in Economics. I graduated in the top of my class and was recognized as a Top Ten Scholar - and outstanding Alumni for the graduating class of 1991. I also graduated at the top of my class at the University of Utah.