A new warden has been named for a prison facility in southwest Iowa.

The Board of Corrections has approved the appointment of Randy Gibbs to become Warden of the Clarinda Correctional Facility on April 21. Gibbs is currently Assistant Deputy Director of Institution Operations.

The Clarinda facility currently houses over 900 inmates, many of whom are classified with “special needs” — offenders with mental health issues or intellectual disabilities.

The warden vacancy at Clarinda was created when Sheryl Dahm was appointed in January as Warden of the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchelleville. That was after former women’s prison warden Pattie Wachtendorf was named the first female warden of the Iowa State Penitentiary in Fort Madison. She replaced Nick Ludwick, who retired.