Connecticut Department of Correction Commissioner James E. Dzurenda will resign at the end of the month to take a job with the New York City Department of Correction.
Gov. Dannel P. Malloy appointed Dzurenda to the position of commissioner in November 2013. Dzurenda served as interim commissioner for about nine months before receiving the job.
Dzurenda worked for the Connecticut Department of Correction for 27 years. He was first promoted to warden in 2002, and served as the chief administrator of both the Webster and Garner correctional institutions. After being appointed a district administrator with oversight over half the state’s prisons, Dzurenda was made deputy commissioner in 2010.
Under the direction of New York City Commissioner of Correction Joseph Ponte, Dzurenda will oversee the jails in each of the five New York City boroughs, including Rikers Island, as part of his new duties.
Malloy appointed Deputy Commissioner Scott Semple, who has 26 years of corrections experience, to serve as acting commissioner until a new commissioner can be named.