The Iowa Board of Corrections today approved the hiring of a new warden for the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. Nick Ludwick will take over at Iowa’s maximum security prison in mid-June. The 55-year-old Michigan native will replace current warden John Ault, who is retiring.

Ludwick, who’ll be paid $112,000 a year, started his career as a corrections officer in 1975 and has worked in six different facilities. He has 10 years of experience as a prison warden. The current facility in Fort Madison was built in 1839 and is the oldest operating prison west of the Mississippi River.

A new $140 million, 800-bed prison is under construction. The facility is expected to be ready in early 2013.