The Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice has named Bret Bullis as the new warden of the Avery-Mitchell Correctional Institution in Spruce Pine.
He had been the associate warden for custody and operations at Marion Correctional, a close and minimum custody prison, since 2020.
“Warden Bullis is a longtime resident of Spruce Pine and has earned vast experience with all aspects of managing the operations of a large prison,” said Todd Ishee, Commissioner of Prisons. “He’s an excellent addition to our team of wardens who work so hard to protect the staff, the offenders, and our communities with caring and compassion.”
In his new position, Bullis is responsible for all operations at Avery-Mitchell Correctional, which houses around 850 medium custody male offenders.
One of his top priorities as warden is to hire and retain high-quality staff members.
“We have important jobs with good benefits for dedicated people who want a career in public service, to help to protect their families and communities,” he said. “We work together closely, in many ways as a family, on a vital mission.”
A veteran employee to state government, Bullis began his career with the Department of Public Safety in 2005 as a food service officer at Mountain View Correctional, a job that managed the feeding and nutritional needs of hundreds of offenders three times a day.
In 2007, he was promoted to correctional officer at the prison and to sergeant in 2010. Two years later, he was tapped to be an assistant housing unit manager.
He advanced in 2015 to be one of the facility’s housing unit managers and was promoted again in 2018, this time to be the security coordinator for the prison system’s western region. He was named the associate warden for custody and operations at Marion Correctional in 2020.
He is a certified general instructor for the Department of Public Safety, with specialties in firearms, control restraint defensive techniques, baton and pepper spray use, cell extraction and employee fitness and wellness.
He is a member of the American Correctional Association, the Correctional Peace Officer Foundation, and the State Employees Association of North Carolina.
He is a graduate of Mitchell High School in Bakersville, and attended Mayland Community College, where he studied electrical engineering.
His hobbies include playing guitar and performing live, traveling, and he is an avid Michigan Wolverines fan.
Built in the 1990s at a cost of almost $27 million, Avery-Mitchell Correctional sits on a 100-acre tract of land beside the Avery and Mitchell County line. The prison is designed with three dormitory-style units, supported by a central administration building.
Offender assignments include prison's kitchen, clothes house, maintenance, and janitorial positions. Offenders participate in the educational and vocational training offered through Mayland Community College.