Board Profile
Jeffrey Begue
CJM, Assistant Jail Commander Stark County Sheriff's Office Canton, Ohio
Hello, my name is Lieutenant Jeffrey Begue. I am one of the Assistant Jail Commanders for the Stark County Sheriff’s Office in Canton, Ohio. I have been a member of the AJA Board of Directors for the last two years and I am a Certified Jail Manager (CJM). I am also a Veteran of the United States Navy, and the Ohio Army National Guard.
I decided to enter the field of corrections and make it my career because...
I missed the comradery, structure and discipline of the military. I love being around people and appreciate a challenge.
My favorite way to relax is...
Spending time with my wife Andrea and our boys Aeden, Roman & Nolan. It doesn’t matter what we are doing. They are the best.
One item from my personal "bucket list" is to...
I would love to play Augusta, with my wife riding shotgun, listening to podcasts while I shank my tee shots all over the place. I don’t care how many golf balls I would lose. It would be an incredible experience.
My motto is...
”Never let the dust settle”. I think it’s important to put ideas in motion and follow through to implementation. However, once that task is completed its time to do more. There should never be a time that you’re not trying to implement change and improvement or trying to work on a new project.
I am most proud of...
My family. They are incredible and inspire me every day. Second, my agency and the Officers that work here. Like most agencies, we’ve experienced some challenges lately. They continue to stand their ground and hold the line. I could not work with a better group of Officers. They are absolutely amazing.
The most unusual job I’ve ever had was...
Working a machine called an Autoclave sterilizing thousands of pounds of biohazardous waste from our local hospitals so they could then go to the landfill. Even my worst day in corrections doesn’t make me miss that job.
I felt it was important to be a member of AJA and serve on the board and commission...
I joined the AJA because I am incredibly passionate about corrections, and wanted to do my part to see our chosen profession well represented. I was very impressed early on with the members of the Board of Directors that I met at my first AJA convention in Orlando. They are some of the brightest minds in the industry, and incredibly inspiring people. It is important to surround yourself with people that can challenge you to be better, and do better. That is what led me to seek a position on the Board of Directors. I am fortunate to be among them.
Three people living or deceased I'd invite to dinner are...
Chris Farley, Betty White, and Bob Marley.
The hardest thing I've ever done is...
Waiting on news from the Cleveland Clinic while my wife had open heart surgery. The longest 4 hours of my life.
My favorite meal is...
It’s tough to beat a good burger and fries.
You would be surprised to learn that...
I am a member of the WABDL powerlifting Hall of Fame, former World Record Holder and former Pro Card holder for Natural Bodybuilding. I truly enjoyed the journey and the people I was blessed to have met along the way.
One piece of advice that I would give anyone considering correction as a career is...
There is no other profession that will challenge you the way that corrections will. Understand that going in. It takes a strong individual to thrive in our environment. Mentally, morally, physically & emotionally. If you’re not a strong individual, this probably isn’t for you.
AJA Board of Directors
President-Elect Darren Sieger, MS, CJM Director Broward Sheriff’s Office Department of Detention Fort Lauderdale, Florida darren_sieger@sheriff.org
President-Elect Louis A. Quiñones Jr., MS, CJM, CCE, CPM Chief of Corrections Orange County Corrections Department Orlando, Florida Louis.QuinonesJr@ocfl.net
1st Vice President Shawn C. Laughlin, MCJ, CJM Commander Broomfield Police Detention & Training Center Support Services Division Broomfield, Colorado slaughlin@broomfield.org
2nd Vice President Robert Leslie Hood, CJM Lieutenant Shelby County Sheriff’s Office Columbiana, Alabama lhood@shelbyso.com
3rd Vice President Anthony Yeber, MPA, MSCJ, CJM Captain/Facility Supervisor Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department Miami, Florida anthony.yeber@miamidade.gov
Secretary Sam Davis, MA, CJM Major/Jail Administrator (Retired) Ingham County Sheriff’s Office Adjunct Staff, School of Criminal Justice Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan samdavis8224@gmail.com
Treasurer Eddie K. Lance, CJM Jail Administrator (Retired) Transylvania County Sheriff’s Office Internal Sales Specialist Southern Software Southern Pines, North Carolina elance@southernsoftware.com
Immediate Past President Mandy Lambert, CJM Major/Director of Support Services (Retired) Prince William-Manassas Regional Adult Detention Center Manassas, Virginia alambert@pwcgov.org
1–Year Term
Denise Diamond Captain Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office Portland, Oregon denise.diamond@mcso.us
Mark Foxall, PhD, CJM Community Service Associate University of Nebraska Omaha School of Criminology and Criminal Justice Omaha, Nebraska markfoxall@unomaha.edu
Diana Knapp, MS, CCE Director Jackson County Department of Corrections Kansas City, Missouri dknapp@jacksongov.org
Melissa McClellan, CJM Captain Jail Administrator–Corrective Services Division Oakland County Sheriff’s Office Pontiac, Michigan mcclellanm@oakgov.com
2–Year Term
Stefanie Bush, CJM Assistant Jail Administrator Scott County Sheriff’s Office- Jail Division Davenport, Iowa Stefanie.Bush@ scottcountyiowa.com
Kevin Jones, CJM, NCCE, CCE, CJE Major/Detention & Court Services Bureau Commander Charles B. Webster Detention Center Richmond County Sheriff’s Office Augusta, Georgia KJones@augustaga.gov
Shaun Klucznik, CJM, CCE Major/Jail Administrator Judicial Services Bureau Commander Hernando County Sheriff’s Office Brooksville, Florida sklucznik@hernandosheriff.org
Lisa Peck, CJM Lieutenant, Detention Division Mesa County Sheriff’s Office Grand Junction, Colorado lisa.peck@mesacounty.us
3-Year Term
Laura Bedard, PhD, CJM Chief of Corrections Seminole County Sheriff’s Office Sanford, Florida lbedard@seminolesheriff.org
Sonya Gillespie Chief, Employee Relations Denver Sheriff Administration Denver, Colorado sonya.gillespie@denvergov.org
Elsie Judon, MS Major, Assistant Director of South Operations Broward Sheriff's Office Ft. Lauderdale, Florida elsie_judon@sheriff.org
Henry Reyes, MAM, MPA, CJM, CCE, NCEE Chief Deputy/Assistant Jail Administrator Tarrant County Sheriff's Office Fort Worth, Texas hreyes@tarrantcounty.com
Parliamentarian Wayne Dicky, CJM, CCE Sheriff Brazos County Office of Sheriff Bryan, Texas wdicky@brazoscountytx.gov
Sergeant-at-Arms Jeffrey M. Begue, CJM Lieutenant Stark County Sheriff’s Office Canton, Ohio 290@starksheriff.org
Chaplain Linda Ahrens, BA, MBA, BGEA Volunteer Chaplain for Staff Chicago, Illinois lindaahrens_1@yahoo.com linda.ahrens@ccsheriff.org
Executive Director Chris D. Daniels, MPA, CAE American Jail Association Hagerstown, Maryland chrisd@aja.org