Erica Hargis - Director

Hargis began her career with the Department of Corrections in July 2009 as a probation and parole investigator writing pre-sentence investigation reports in District 4. In June 2010, she transferred to District 19 as a probation and parole officer supervising a high-risk caseload. She began working in the Reentry Branch in Jefferson County when she was selected for one of the four grant-funded reentry parole officer positions in 2012. Later that year she promoted to an assistant supervisor at the District 4 Probation and Parole office, and then transferred to District 16 in the same capacity in May 2015.

In September 2017, Hargis became the reentry employment program administrator for Reentry Region 3, assisting justice-involved individuals with employment support services in the greater Louisville area. In March 2018, she was promoted to assistant director of the newly created Division of Reentry Services.

As a result of being one of the original PORTAL reentry team members in District 19, Hargis was the recipient of the Achievement Award for that district in 2011. She assisted with the creation, development and implementation of the Field Training Office (FTO) program that is currently being utilized in all 20 Probation and Parole districts, earning her a Commissioner's Award in 2014.

A 2006 graduate of Western Kentucky University, Hargis earned a bachelor's degree in psychology and criminology. In 2010, she earned a master's degree from the University of Louisville in justice administration. Hargis is a 2015 graduate of the Commissioner's Executive Leadership program.

Kirk Gausepohl - Assistant Director

Gausepohl began his DOC career in April 1998 as a correctional officer at Blackburn Correctional Complex. The following year, he joined the Division of Probation and Parole as an officer in District 9 in Fayette County.

As a probation and parole officer, he completed presentence investigation reports and supervised a variety of caseloads including probationers, parolees, individuals on home incarceration, and sex offenders. In addition, he served as a Class D officer and the officer assigned to the CSC halfway house and the Chrysalis House residential SAP program. He also conducted PREA investigations, served as an ACA mock auditor, chaired the caseload audit committee served as a mentor in the Commissioner's Executive Leadership Program, coordinated job fairs, assisted in the training of P&P staff, chaired the intern program within District 9, and ran supervision orientation classes for all new offenders in Fayette Circuit Court.

In 2011 Gausepohl was promoted to assistant supervisor in District 9. He retired from DOC in September 2017. In January of this year, he returned to DOC to the Division of Local Facilities where he was responsible for jail billing and medical payment to jails. In July, he was special detailed to the position of assistant director of the Division of Probation and Parole.

A graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, Gausepohl received his bachelor's degree in corrections and juvenile justice.

Steve Turner - Assistant Director

A 13-year veteran of the Department of Corrections, Turner began his career working as a correctional officer at the Frankfort Career Development Center in 2005. In 2006 he promoted to a classification and treatment officer position at the facility. Shortly afterwards he transferred to the home incarceration program area at Central Office as the original central region classification and treatment officer.

In 2008 Turner promoted to deputy compact administrator for the Interstate Compact Office where he helped build a solid foundation for the controlled movement of over 6,000 probationers and parolees across state lines. In this capacity, Turner was a key player in Kentucky's Transition to the Interstate Compact Offender Tracking System (ICOTS). He gained national recognition for his efforts toward ensuring all interstate compact policies and procedures are followed in accordance with statute and has served as alternate and proxy for the instate compact commissioner.

Turner took the initiative to spearhead the department's DNA collection efforts during a difficult time in 2013. His unwavering commitment to this task was pivotal in that he not only coordinated the undertaking, but also played an instrumental role in updating and enhancing processes and procedures to establish a system of accountability across the state.

Turner is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in criminal justice. In 2013 he graduated from the Commissioner's Executive Leadership Program and later served as a mentor in the program. He received a DOC Deputy Commissioner's Award in 2012 and was a co-recipient of the Deputy Commissioner's Award for Support Services in 2018. Turner is an active member of the Kentucky Council on Crime and Delinquency (KCCD) and currently serves as the Capitol Chapter president.