Kleman credits Ashland University with career path toward being promoted to lieutenant

Because her sister, who was studying nursing at Ashland University, always talked about how great the professors and staff were there, Rachel Kleman decided to transfer to AU after her freshman year at another college.

“Upon taking preliminary and mandatory credit classes, I found interest in criminal justice and sociology, which in turn led me to getting a degree in both,” said Kleman, who graduated from AU in 2018.

Kleman said it was one of the best decisions she ever made because it has helped a lot in her career, including being promoted recently to correctional lieutenant for the Richland County Sheriff’s Office (RCSO) in Mansfield, Ohio.

“I believe the knowledge and skills learned while attending AU have definitely helped me throughout my career in corrections, as well as my promotion to lieutenant recently,” Kleman said. “Without the knowledge and understanding I gained while attending AU, I would have felt lost or like I was not prepared to work in this type of environment.”

Despite the stress and liability for all things that happen through the Richland County Jail, Kleman said she is enjoying her promotion, which was announced on July 7, 2023.

She started with the RCSO in 2019 as a correctional officer and was promoted to correctional sergeant in 2022.

During her time with RCSO, she has received a Life-Saving Award, Office Citation Award, Certificate of Appreciation Award and a Certificate of Merit Award.

In her new position, Kleman oversees all officers (13, including two sergeants) on second shift, as well as all inmates in the facility.

“On a normal day, I ensure the completion and accuracy of official headcounts of all inmates in custody,” Kleman said. “I will also communicate directly to the Richland County Common Pleas Court, Mansfield Municipal Court and other courts in the area, even across the U.S.”

Kleman, who graduated from St. Peter’s High School in Mansfield in 2014, said AU played a vital role in her going into corrections.

“I joined the Criminal Justice Club while attending AU,” she said. “During my time, we did tours and walk-throughs of juvenile and adult detention centers, as well as rehabilitation centers. Those tours helped me gain interest in this field.

“Not only did the CJ Club help me enter into this field, but the different classes offered, including Intro to Corrections, gave me the knowledge that I think really helped me when I first started,” Kleman added. “The courses offered at AU were wonderful and were always the courses I enjoyed the most.”

While at AU, Kleman worked at the Cedar Point Police Department as a dispatcher, answering 911 calls from all Cedar Point properties, as well as its security line, and dispatching proper response to emergency calls.

“Working there gave me the push I wanted to get into a branch of law enforcement,” said Kleman, who, after graduating from AU, worked full-time for Safety Services at Ashland University as a security officer and dispatcher until starting at the RCSO.

As thankful as she is to be working for the RCSO, Kleman said she is as appreciative for AU helping her get to the Richland County Sheriff’s Office.

“The criminal justice program at AU is such an amazing program,” she said. “All of the professors I have been taught by and encountered were always extremely helpful and knowledgeable of the field. It helps having professors who have been in the field and have experienced the same things all of us joining the program want to do.

“Not only are the professors great, but the courses themselves are accurate and descriptive to what happens in the ‘real world’,” Kleman added. “The courses I took gave me a real understanding of what to expect in my career.”