Monroe Hudson

By Mike Finney

Gov. John Carney on Thursday announced that Commissioner Monroe Hudson will step down later this month from his role as the head of the Delaware Department of Correction, after more than 35 years of service in law enforcement.

Terra Taylor, the department’s current deputy commissioner, will serve as acting commissioner until a permanent replacement is nominated by the governor and confirmed by the Senate.

“Monroe is a dedicated leader with more than three decades of distinguished service to our state — beginning and now concluding his law enforcement career (in the department),” Gov. Carney said. “I’ve had the honor of working with Monroe throughout his 31 years at the Delaware State Police and with the Department of Correction. I’d like to congratulate and thank Monroe for his tireless commitment to making Delaware a safer and stronger place.

“I also want to thank Terra for her willingness to step into this role. I am confident her years of experience within the Department of Correction — from her time as a probation officer to chief of community corrections to deputy commissioner — will make her a strong leader for the department.”

Prior to his Senate confirmation as DOC commissioner in 2021, Mr. Hudson served as deputy commissioner for two years. Previously, he served more than three decades for the Delaware State Police, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel and serving as deputy superintendent. He was also named Trooper of the Year in 2001.

As commissioner, he outlined five priorities to advance the department’s dual missions of public safety and offender rehabilitation: recruitment and retention; safety, security and employee wellness; expanding community outreach and stakeholder engagement; vocational training for offenders; and leveraging technology to make operations more efficient and improve the ability to make data-driven decisions.

In her position as deputy commissioner, Ms. Taylor supervises the department’s four bureaus and sets direction through policy development, strategic planning and decision making. She initially joined the Department of Correction in 1997 and previously served as chief of community corrections, leading the bureau that oversees probation and parole, pretrial services, the community work-release program, electronic monitoring and other supervision programs for more than 10,000 individuals statewide.