A bit of history was made recently at Marquette Branch Prison when the first female warden of the venerable institution was named.

To be specific, Erica Huss’ promotion to the top administrative job at the 128-year-old prison was effective Dec. 31. She most recently served as deputy warden at Marquette Branch.

Huss is a Michigan Department of Corrections veteran. She began her career as a corrections officer at Camp Cusino in 1994. She later moved on to roles as resident unit manager, assistant deputy warden and deputy warden at facilities that included Ojibway and Ionia Correctional Facilities and finally Marquette Branch.

A graduate of Luther L. Wright School in Ironwood Huss earned her bachelor’s degree in behavioral psychology from Northern Michigan University. She is the 28th warden at Marquette Branch. She was preceded in the position by Robert Napel.

In many ways, Huss is a trailblazer, a female pioneer going where only men have gone before.

We have every confidence that she will do well running, Marquette Branch, one of the toughest prisons in the state of Michigan.