​Commissioner, Cookie Crews

Commissioner Cookie Crews is a 36-year veteran of the Kentucky Department of Corrections. Cres served as the administrator for the Health Services Division from 2012-2020​, providing administrative oversight for the entire medical mission of the department.

A native of the small town of Hardy in Pike County, Crews began her Corrections career in January 1984 as a correctional officer at the Kentucky Correctional Institution for Women (KCIW). Working her way up the security and program ranks at various institutions, she held many positions including sergeant, classification and treatment officer, and unit administrator. In 2002, she was promoted to deputy warden at Luther Luckett Correctional Complex (LLCC). Two years later she was named warden of the Frankfort Career Development Center, a minimum-security prison that for a period of time was located in Frankfort. Crews went on to serve as warden at both KCIW and LLCC. In 2009, she was named warden of the Kentucky State Reformatory, the prison with the largest medical operation and highest population at the time.

Crews is a graduate of Eastern Kentucky University where she received a bachelor's degree in corrections and public relations. She is a longtime member of the Southern States Correctional Association and the Kentucky Council on Crime and Delinquency. She was the recipient of the 2007 Warden of the Year Award.