Jessica Sage is first female warden at USP Lewisburg
Apr. 2—LEWISBURG — Jessica Sage set her sights on becoming the first female warden at U.S. Penitentiary at Lewisburg a decade ago, the first time she visited a conference room at the facility known as The Big House.
Sage was a staff psychologist at the Union County prison in 2013 when she saw photographs on the wall of each of the 27 wardens that had served there since 1932. Looking at each framed black and white photo, she laughed "at the funny haircuts and big ties" before realizing all of the people in the pictures were men.
"In that moment I said, 'I will be the first female warden here,'" she recalled.
On Feb. 27, the 43-year-old realized that goal when she began serving as the prison's 30th warden.
An only child raised in Missouri, Sage always knew she wanted to be a psychologist but can't pinpoint where the aspiration came from other than a desire to help people.
She was the first person in her family to earn a doctorate, which she obtained from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology. Her connection to corrections began with an internship and post-doctorate work at a Tucson, Arizona, crisis center that involved interacting closely with law enforcement.
When it was suggested that she consider bringing her psychology background into the federal system, Sage decided to give it a try.
"I think it just fit me. I have a low tolerance for boredom," she said.
Relatives supported her career choice, partly because they couldn't stand in her way.
"I'm stubborn and hard-headed," said Sage who started her Bureau of Prisons (BOP) career as a psychologist at USP Tucson in 2009. She was transferred to USP Lewisburg in 2013.
It was here while working as the chief psychologist under then-Warden Jeff Thomas and later Warden David Ebbert that she set her sights on the top job and made her intention of helming the Lewisburg prison well known.
"I worked incredibly hard to round out my experience. I volunteered for everything," said Sage who after leaving USP Lewisburg in 2017 worked as an associate warden at a federal correctional institution in Herlong, Ca.
Women like Sage are a minority in the federal system. According to Sage and BOP's website, there are only 27 female wardens at the 122 prisons across the U.S. that employ fewer than 10,000 women staffers — or about 28 percent — among the BOP's nearly 35,000 employees.
It's not the first time Sage has broken gender barriers in the BOP. Before being reassigned to USP Lewisburg last month, she was tapped to be the first female warden at USP Schuylkill, a position she held for about 1 1/2 years.
Returning to Lewisburg, though, was her ultimate aim.
"I came to love this place and the people. There are generations of knowledge here. They have an outstanding work ethic and are avid community members, serving as coaches, EMTs, foster parents," she said. "I've worked coast to coast and you don't find this work ethic everywhere."
As warden, Sage said her job is to be supportive of the 426 employees and their wellness and about 1,000 inmates and their re-entry into society.
The mother of one is married to a retired federal prison employee who has worked at USP Lewisburg and understands the work she's doing.
"When I get a call in the middle of the night, he makes me a cup of coffee and starts my car and says he'll see me when he sees me," she said of her husband who she declines to name for the story.
"I still get a little misty when I walk through the door" at the prison, said Sage. "I never anticipated it would be a place like home, but it is."
