Item Description:
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Commendation of Karen Kuglar, Area Director for the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation’s Institution Services - offered by Commissioner Lunde
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WHEREAS:
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WHEREAS, Karen Kuglar began her county career as a temporary Juvenile Corrections Worker in 1987 at the Hennepin County Home School and was hired as a permanent county employee in 1988; and
WHEREAS, Karen held positions of increasing responsibility in the Department of Community Corrections and Rehabilitation (DOCCR) before being appointed as Corrections Institution Supervisor at the County Home School in 2002 and Superintendent at the Juvenile Detention Center in 2006; and
WHEREAS, Karen became an Area Director of Juvenile Services in 2015, overseeing the County Home School, Juvenile Detention Center, Juvenile Probation, and Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative. She became Area Director of Institution Services in 2017, overseeing the department’s two corrections facilities, electronic home monitoring, and the Sentencing to Service and Community Productive Day programs; and
WHEREAS, Karen built strong partnerships across the department and with Minneapolis Public Schools while superintendent of the Juvenile Detention Center. She helped redefine the purpose of detention and ushered in significant changes to enhance the programming and culture of the institution; and
WHEREAS, Karen, as Area Director of Institution Services, successfully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic, protecting staff and residents at the Adult Corrections Facility and Juvenile Detention Center. Under Karen’s thoughtful direction, there were limited outbreaks and zero COVID fatalities inside Hennepin’s correctional facilities; and
WHEREAS, Karen is well respected both in the department and throughout the county. She operates with integrity and readily builds trust in her interactions with staff, colleagues, system partners, and community partners; and
WHEREAS, Karen has developed a reputation as a caring and committed leader, whose knowledge and experience has created spaces of stability and safety amid change. She sets an example for others and models the behavior she wants from staff.
Resolution:
BE IT RESOLVED, BE IT RESOLVED, that the Hennepin County Board of Commissioners acknowledges Karen Kuglar’s many accomplishments, thanks her for her years of dedicated service to the county, and wishes her a long and healthy retirement.
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Background:
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Recommendation from County Administrator: Recommend Approval