A Columbiana County native and current warden at the Northeast Ohio Correctional Center recently won a national honor.

Doug Fender of Leetonia was recently named 2023 Warden of the Year by the North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents.

Fender, who earned the honor while he was warden at the Lake Erie Correctional Institution, recently was named warden at the Youngstown facility.

Annette Chambers-Smith, director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, nominated Fender for the honor.

“Ohio’s nomination this year is particularly unique because Doug serves as the warden of one of our privately operated facilites,” Chambers-Smith wrote. “While (Lake Erie Correctional) is operated by Core Civic, Doug and his staff are no less a part of the Ohio correction family than that of our state-operated facilities.”

Chambers-Smith called Fender “a charismatic leader, one whose positive outlook and approachable personality are magnetic to those who work with him.”

In announcing the award at the recent North American Association of Wardens and Superintendents banquet in Columbus, Fender was depicted as a warden has gone the extra mile to solve problems in their organization, involve themselves in community and local organizations, and mentored in the development of others.

“The pride that he has in his staff is contagious, and he takes every opportunity to boast about his employees,” Chambers-Smith wrote.

Fender started his career in June 1998 as a correctional officer and has served in a variety of roles, including senior correctional officer, assistant shift supervisor, shift supervisor, chief of security, chief of unit management and assistant warden.