AMM SOLUTIONS

Dr. Alix M. McLearen is a clinical psychologist and retired federal law enforcement executive with decades of leadership experience in correctional systems. In 2022, Attorney General Merrick Garland appointed her to lead the National Institute of Corrections, where she guided correctional policies and practices impacting over 750,000 professionals across local, state, and federal systems.

During more than 20 years at the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Dr. McLearen held progressively senior roles, including Chief Psychologist and National Administrator of the Women and Special Populations Branch, overseeing guidance for 122 federal facilities and 35,000 employees on issues affecting women, juveniles, persons with disabilities, veterans, aging, and transgender populations. She also served as BOP’s Prison Rape Elimination Act Coordinator, developing national training and compliance standards.

As Senior Deputy Assistant Director and later Acting Assistant Director of Reentry Services, she oversaw psychology, education, chaplaincy, transitional programming, and more than 200 halfway houses. She managed nearly $1 billion in resources and led the agency’s implementation of the First Step Act, including creating a custom needs assessment tool and an innovative virtual volunteer recruitment system. She also authored numerous policies, and oversaw their implementation.

Dr. McLearen championed initiatives promoting normalcy, access to treatment, and innovation. Her work resulted in agency changes such as providing free feminine hygiene products to incarcerated women, expanding mental treatment and suicide prevention responses, establishing the processes for gender affirming surgeries and accommodations, improving sexual assault prevention standards, and developing staff training on trauma, gender, humanity, and safety in prisons.

A respected speaker and credible witness, Dr. McLearen was frequently called to testify in high-stakes settings, including before the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, as the Department of Justice’s witness in the U.S. v. Texas abortion case, and as the United States' representative at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime corrections symposia. Since leaving government service, she has continued this work as a sought-after expert witness and consultant.

Dr. McLearen holds a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology and Law from the University of Alabama. She has published extensively in leading journals and books on correctional, legal, and mental health topics and was awarded the Myrl E. Alexander Award—the BOP’s highest honor for correctional innovation—in 2018.

Dr. Thompson is a seasoned clinical psychologist with over 25 years of expertise in assessing and treating mental health and substance use disorders within state and federal prison systems. During her career with the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) she made significant contributions by coordinating comprehensive substance use and mental health treatment programs for incarcerated individuals across facilities of all security levels. Additionally, she played a pivotal role in coordinating reentry programs for individuals transitioning from incarceration to supervised release.

Dr. Thompson served as the Chief of Drug Treatment Programs for the BOP for seven years. In this leadership role, she managed both the administrative and clinical aspects of substance use treatment across the BOP’s 122 facilities. She developed, implemented, and maintained rigorous standards of program fidelity, ensuring the delivery of high-quality treatment to maximize positive outcomes for incarcerated individuals. Throughout her career, Dr. Thompson has been a passionate advocate for the rights of incarcerated individuals. She retired from BOP in 2023, leaving behind a legacy of dedicated service and impactful change.

Hugh Hurwitz's career leading multiple agencies allows him to bring a unique perspective to any organization seeking demonstrated senior leadership experience. In May 2018, the Attorney General appointed Mr. Hurwitz to serve as the Acting Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, one of the largest correctional systems in the world.

He began his career with the BOP as a law clerk in 1988. He later held a variety of positions across government such as Deputy Chief Financial Officer at the Department of Education and Assistant Inspector General at NASA. In 2017 he returned to BOP, working in information management leadership and then leading the Reentry Services Division, including implementing the First Step Act. In 2020, He became BOP’s Chief Financial Officer and senior procurement official. He retired from federal service in 2021.

Mr. Hurwitz holds a Juris Doctor degree from American University and is a frequent guest lecturer on corrections, leadership, and procurement. He is a member of the Council on Criminal Justice.