Former Eaton grad becomes warden at Edmonton Institution

By Joan Janzen

This month high schools are celebrating their graduates who are stepping into the next phase of their lives and looking at their career options. Decades after graduating from Eaton School in Eatonia, Michelle Kendell (Smith) continues to enjoy her chosen career. This past spring, Michelle became Warden at the Edmonton Institution at a Change of Command Ceremony held by Correctional Service Canada (CSC).

Michelle Kendell (centre) with her daughters, Samantha and Miranda, at the Correctional Service Canada Change of Command Ceremony where she took over as Warden of the Edmonton Institution. PHOTO SUBMITTED.

“It’s a great career. It has a lot of growth and opportunity for advancement,” she advised, noting anyone who is interested in changing lives might want to consider this career path.

“I always had a draw toward a military-type career since I was a little girl. My grandfather was in the military and I think that had an influence on me,” she recalled. “It’s something that always interested me.”

After graduation, Michelle earned a degree in criminal justice and psychology with plans to join the police force.

“Regular force wasn’t hiring at the time and I was told to get more life experience because I was too young,” she explained.

In 1994, she got hired by CSC, took her training in Saskatoon and started as Correctional Officer 1 at Drumheller Institution.

“When I started there weren’t a lot of women in corrections. There’s not a lot of female wardens in Canada,” she explained. “It’s been hard work to get to my level. It’s been a great career and I’ve enjoyed it.”

She spent most of her career at Drumheller, a medium-security facility. She also worked at the Bowden Institution, the women’s institution and the Regional Psychiatric Centre in Saskatoon to gain more experience.

The Edmonton Institution is a maximum-security facility housing 280 males.

“I have close to 200 employees under me. My job is to ensure the institution is providing care and custody of our offenders while maintaining the security of the staff and public,” she said.

She manages a very large budget, deals with regional bosses in Saskatoon, as well as national head bosses in Ottawa. There’s lots of legal stuff to deal with, ensuring everything is done by the book.

“It’s very stressful; we see the worst of the worst. The work can be challenging, but we have a lot of successes as well in what we do,” she noted.

Michelle credits her family for helping her maintain a positive outlook on life.

“I love my family. I’ve learned to leave work at work when I go home, but I also have years of experience dealing with that,” she reasoned.

As they grew up, her two daughters observed their mother’s dedication to her career.

“It was important for me to raise strong young women. Both worked as summer students with us through a federal government work program when they were younger,” Michelle explained. Now her oldest daughter works in corrections and her youngest daughter just finished her degree in psychology and is working with children.

“I come to work and do the best I can when I’m there. I realize I can’t help everybody, but I help the people I can,” she said.

Michelle’s ability to help people has been the motivation that sustained her for more than three decades as she approaches retirement in just three years.

“I believe if we give people the right tools they can change and go on to lead productive lives,” she said. “No kid grows up wanting to be a criminal; something goes wrong along the way.” That something is usually some sort of addiction.

Michelle admitted the most challenging aspect of her career is the times she doesn’t see success.

“Some of the challenges are dealing with different personalities, and the change in workforce is challenging,” she added.

CSC’s mission is to contribute to the safety and security of the public, employees and offenders. Michelle and her staff work tirelessly every day to make a difference in the lives of offenders.

“It’s not an easy job and it’s not for everyone. But for the most part people can make changes in their life,” she concluded.

After chatting with Michelle, it’s obvious she is well suited to the career path she was drawn to since she was a child. There may be graduates who have been drawn to specific interests since childhood and now have the opportunity to pursue them.