Billy McConnell

Mr. McConnell co-founded LaSalle in 1997.  He oversees all aspects of LaSalle's operations, but focuses primarily on the strategic direction and growth of LaSalle and affiliated companies.

Mr. McConnell's diverse and successful corporate and entrepreneurial career has spanned over four decades in the energy, construction, real estate, healthcare, logistics, and corrections industries.  Mr. McConnell currently serves in various executive management and ownership roles in Southwestern Correctional, BAS Construction, M&T Property, Red River Corporation, and many others.

Mr. McConnell began his career as an engineer for Exxon, where he spent 15 years.  After rising to Manager, he supervised a staff of 40 engineers and was responsible for distribution of chemical products for North and South America.  Mr. McConnell earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Louisiana Tech University and a J.D. from the University of Houston Bates College of Law.  He is an active member of the American Correctional Association and has a passion for effective re-entry programs that change the lives of inmates.

Pat Temple

Mr. Temple co-founded LaSalle in 1997.  He oversees all aspects of LaSalle's operations, but focuses primarily on the strategic direction and growth of LaSalle and affiliated companies.

Mr. Temple's diverse and successful entrepreneurial career has spanned over four decades in the construction, real estate, healthcare, logistics, and corrections industries.  Mr. Temple currently serves in various executive management and ownership roles in Southwestern Correctional, BAS Construction, M&T Property, Red River Corporation, and many others.

Mr. Temple began his career in sales for a large global pharmaceutical company.  Mr. Temple earned a B.S. in Microbiology from Louisiana Tech University and is a licensed Commercial and General Contractor with the state of Louisiana.

Rodney Cooper

Mr. Cooper joined LaSalle in 2009. He primarily focuses on facility operations and development, but also monitors general operations at all of the Texas facilities.

Prior to joining LaSalle, Mr. Cooper spent almost 30 years with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ). He began his career with the TDCJ in 1978 as a correctional officer and advanced through the ranks to the position of Deputy Director for the Institution Division prior to his retirement. During the last three years as Deputy Director, he was responsible for oversight of approximately 152,000 offenders located throughout the State's 112 facilities.

Mr. Cooper served as president of the Texas Corrections Association in 2009 and is also a member of the American Corrections Association. He graduated from Sam Houston State University in 1984 with a B.S. in Criminology and Corrections.

Kevin Sumrall

Mr. Sumrall joined LaSalle in 2000.  He primarily focuses on facility operations and development, but also monitors general operations at all of LaSalle's Louisiana facilities.

Prior to joining LaSalle, Mr. Sumrall was the Assistant Warden for Maximum Security at the Tallulah Correctional Center for Youth.  He also served as the Chief Internal Affairs Investigator.

Mr. Sumrall began his law enforcement career in 1984 with the East Carroll Sheriff's Office (ECSO) and served nearly fifteen years in a variety of roles.  His final position with the ECSO was as Chief Criminal Deputy and Parish Jail Warden. Mr. Sumrall studied criminal justice at Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, LA and has attended numerous law enforcement continuing education programs at Louisiana State University (LSU).

Bob Prince

Mr. Prince joined LaSalle in 2010.  He is responsible for business development and governmental affairs.

Prior to joining LaSalle, Mr. Prince worked for a private jail management company in business development and government relations.

Mr. Prince attended Texas Christian University on a football scholarship where he was a three-year letterman. After graduation, he spent six years coaching football and teaching school. Mr. Prince then entered the law enforcement field in the Texas Department of Public Safety as a State Trooper and Texas Ranger. He was honored as Officer of the Year for the Fort Worth area. As a Texas Ranger, he was a Forensic Hypnotist, Hostage Negotiator and rose to the rank of Captain. Mr. Prince served as the president of the Texas Ranger Association, a member of the Board of Directors for the Texas Jail Association and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Texas Ranger Museum and Hall of Fame.

Johnny Creed

Mr. Creed joined LaSalle in 2007.  He is responsible for all operations at LaSalle's Louisiana facilities.

Mr. Creed retired from the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections (LaDPS&C) after 27 distinguished years.  His final position with LDPSC was Chief of Operations where he was responsible for operations of all state correctional facilities, Probation & Parole, Basic Jail Guidelines operations with local parish facilities housing state inmates, and the Incident Management Center which managed and coordinated major incidents (e.g., evacuations, etc.) within the LaDPS&C and other state and local agencies.  He also served as the LaDPS&C Assistant Secretary from 1993 until 2004 with similar duties.  It was during this period that the LaDPS&C achieved the successful accreditation of all state correctional facilities and Probation & Parole with the American Correctional Association (ACA).

Mr. Creed began his career at LTI-Monroe (i.e., Swanson Correctional Center for Youth) as a corrections officer in 1980.  He transferred to David Wade Correctional Center in 1981 and was promoted through the ranks becoming Chief of Security before being appointed by the Louisiana Governor to LaDPS&C Assistant Secretary.  Mr. Creed served as an accreditation auditor for the ACA from 1996 until 2001 and is still an active ACA member.

Clay McConnell

Mr. McConnell joined LaSalle in 2006.  He focuses most of his time on business development with law enforcement partners, information technology, and managing real estate of company affiliates.

Prior to joining LaSalle, Mr. McConnell was a pastor in the United Methodist Church where he served for ten years.  He served in a variety of ministerial roles including the Associate Pastor at Grace Community in Shreveport, LA and as the Director of Wesley United Campus Ministries in Lafayette, LA.  He is passionate about seeing people change their lives and live up to their potential.

Mr. McConnell earned a B.S. in Business Administration from Louisiana Tech University and a Master of Divinity from Asbury Theological Seminary.  He is currently a member of the American Correctional Association (ACA) and the Texas Jail Association.

Nathan Quarterman

Mr. Quarterman joined LaSalle in 2009. He is directly responsible for the identification and development of new business activities, and he also assists in the management of the Texas operations.

Prior to joining LaSalle, Mr. Quarterman served 26 years with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) retiring as the Correctional Institutional Director. In this role Mr. Quarterman oversaw the daily operations of the 2nd largest correctional institution in the United States with over 156,000 offenders and 112 facilities.

Mr. Quarterman is a graduate of Mountain State University where he earned both a B.S. and M.S. He has received extensive training through his distinguished career, and in 2006, the Texas Correctional Association named him the Outstanding Adult Corrections Administrator.

Gary Brown

Mr. Brown joined LaSalle Corrections in 2011. He is responsible for governmental affairs.

Prior to joining LaSalle, Mr. Brown served in state and federal law enforcement for over thirty-four years.  This includes twenty-five years with the United States Marshals Service where he retired as the United States Marshal for the Eastern District of Texas. His experience includes coordinating IGA's (Intergovernmental  Agreements) with local governments for correctional facilities as well as prisoner movement and management solutions.

Gary graduated from the University of Texas of the Permian Basin and continues to maintain a Master Police Officer license.

Melissa McConnell Merritt

Mrs. Merritt joined LaSalle in 2007. Her focus is on corporate expansion, business development with law enforcement partners, and contractual/legal matters.

Prior to joining LaSalle, Mrs. Merritt worked as an attorney for three years in Louisiana. She was Miss Louisiana USA 2004 and competed in the nationally televised Miss USA pageant in Los Angeles, CA. As Miss Louisiana, Melissa made extensive appearances across the State encouraging children to set goals, believe in themselves, overcome their fears and live their dreams. The heart of her reign was to honor ordinary citizens of Louisiana and encourage each person she met to be their best self and make a difference in whatever circumstances they find themselves.

Melissa earned a B.S. in Journalism from Texas A&M University, a Bachelor of Civil Law and a Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University's Paul M. Hebert Law Center. She is currently a member of the American Bar Association (ABA), the Louisiana State Bar Association, the American Correctional Association (ACA) and the Texas Jail Association.

Dr. Robert Hanser

Dr. Hanser joined LaSalle in 2011. He is responsible for overseeing inmate reception, drug rehabilitation and inmate re-entry.

Dr. Hanser began his career as a correctional officer in 1992 and received his Ph.D. in Criminal Justice from Sam Houston State University in December 2002. Since that time, he has enjoyed teaching  in the areas of corrections, correctional treatment, domestic violence, drug use and abuse, minorities and criminal justice, criminal behavior, and many others. He has recently held positions as the Head of the Department of Criminal Justice, the Co-Director of the Violence Prevention and Intervention Program, the Director of the Institute of Law Enforcement and the Associate Director for the School of Social Sciences at the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He has published numerous textbooks and articles in his areas of expertise and is an active researcher in the fields of corrections and treatment. Dr. Hanser is also a National Certified Counselor, a Licensed Professional Counselor in the states of Louisiana and Texas and a Licensed Addiction Counselor.

Joe Koskie

Mr. Koskie joined LaSalle in 2009.  In addition to directing LaSalle's re-entry programs, he also serves as chaplain at the Lincoln Parish Detention Center.

Mr. Koskie has experience in a variety of ministerial settings that includes campus ministry, parish ministry, urban missions, counseling, and seminary instruction.

Mr. Koskie earned a B.A. in history from Louisiana Tech University, an M.A. in theological studies from Asbury Theological Seminary, and is a Ph.D. candidate in theology at the London School of Theology.

Tim Kurpiewski

Mr. Kurpiewski joined LaSalle in 2007. He is responsible for overseeing all finance and accounting functions for the Texas operations and was a key member of the initial team that expanded LaSalle's reach into the state of Texas.

Prior to joining LaSalle, Mr. Kurpiewski was a member of the BRG Group management team. He has over 14 years of corrections experience and has been practicing accounting for 25 years. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the state of California and Texas. Using his many years of business and finance experience he serves on multiple city and regional county boards. He is currently serving as a publicly elected county official himself which gives him an intimate understanding of working with local and county governments within the state of Texas.

Judy Wesley

Mrs. Wesley joined LaSalle in 1997 as accountant for LaSalle's first Louisiana correctional facility.  She is responsible for supervising the accounting activities and human resources for LaSalle and other affiliates.

Prior to joining LaSalle, Mrs. Wesley was a resident of Mississippi and held accounting positions for Magnolia Management Company, the State of Mississippi - Child Support Division, and Partridge & Woodcock, CPA.

Mrs. Wesley earned a B.B.A in Accounting and Management with honors from Delta State University in Cleveland, Mississippi.

Chris Bell

Mr. Bell joined LaSalle in 2009. He is responsible for all operations at the Texas facilities.

Mr. Bell retired from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) in 2008, after 27 years of distinguished service. His final position with TDCJ was Senior Warden of the Wynne Unit, a 2,600 bed maximum security facility. At the Wynne Unit he was responsible for overall operations of the facility which included the Computer Recovery Facility, License Plate Plant, Mattress Factory, Sign and Plastics Facility, Graphics Facility, Mechanical Diesel Shop, Tire/Wrecker Operation, Food Service Warehouse, Freight Terminal, and Agriculture Operations. The Wynne Unit was accredited in 2008 with the American Correctional Association (ACA).

Mr. Bell began his career at TDCJ in 1980 as a correctional officer at the Ferguson Unit and promoted through the correctional ranks before a becoming a Warden in 2000. Mr. Bell was the TDCJ Warden of the Year in 2006 and was nominated by TDCJ in 2008 for the North America Association Wardens and Superintendents' (NAAWS) Warden of the Year. Mr. Bell is a 1980 graduate of Sam Houston State University with a B.S. in Law Enforcement and Police Science. Mr. Bell is a member of the ACA and the Texas State Jail Association.