Gov. Jared Polis has appointed Moses ‘Andre’ Stancil as interim executive director of the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC). He replaces Dean Williams, who will step down on Dec. 2. 

Stancil is the department’s deputy executive director, a role he has held since February 2022.

Williams, in announcing his resignation on Nov. 9, pointed out that he only intended to serve one term. Williams was appointed executive director of DOC in 2019, shortly after being removed from his position as head of prisons in Alaska, where some of his reforms stirred controversy. 

Williams’ reforms in Colorado also generated controversy. He clashed at one point with then-Denver Police Chief Paul Pazen, who argued that too many homicides in Denver were tied to parolees. Pazen contended parolees were under lax supervision.

Stancil previously served as deputy executive director of prison operations at CDOC from 2019-2022. Before that, he had worked in the Federal Bureau of Prisons from 1998 to 2019. He began his career in CDOC as a correctional officer, and served in the United States Army as a Military Police Investigator. He earned his M.A. in Criminology from Regis University in 2009, and a B.A. in Behavioral Science from Regis University. 

A nationwide search is now underway for a permanent executive director.

Colorado Springs Gazette’s Christopher Osher contributed to this report.