2007
Allan Henson
This year’s recipient is K. Allan Henson, Retired Chief Probation Officer of Vanderburgh County. Allan retired recently after serving over 30 years in the probation field with 21 of these years serving as the Chief Probation Officer in Vanderburgh County. His contributions to the field of probation and to P.O.P.A.I. are stellar.
In nominating the recipient for this award, Chief Judge Wayne Trockman of Vanderburgh Superior Court states, “He has had a very positive influence on the thousands of probationers that he has counseled and the numerous probation officers he has trained and mentored during his career.” He was instrumental in starting his county’s Alcohol and Drug Abuse Probation Services as well as serving in many other endeavors within his department.
Allan was a pioneer in the development of the P.O.P.A.I. annual meetings. Along with his department, the recipient hosted a retreat held in 1996 at Lake Monroe which led to P.O.P.! A.I. hosting annual conferences.
He was a member of the P.O.P.A.I. Executive Board and encouraged his staff as well as other probation officers throughout the state to embrace the P.O.P.A.I. organization and its mission. Allan is considered to be a significant factor in the membership growth during his tenure on the Board.