13 Feb UDC Welcomes Armanda Mercado as the new Deputy Director of Utah Correctional Industries

Please join us in welcoming Armanda Mercado as the new Deputy Director of Utah Correctional Industries (UCI).

Mercado began her career with Corrections in 2009 as an intern with the Sex Offender and Kidnap Registry office, assisting with registrations and the public database. She transferred to UCI in 2014 as an internal auditor and later promoted to Operations Manager, Correctional Administrator II, and Audit Manager. She also served as UDC’s PPE Quartermaster during the COVID-19 outbreak.

Mercado graduated from the University of Utah with Bachelor’s Degrees in Psychology and Social Work. She later completed a Master’s Degree in Criminal Science and an emphasis in Corrections from Weber State University. She is a licensed interpreter and lead prison auditor for the Federal Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The deputy director position opened when Shane Welch was appointed UCI Director, after former director Maria Shirey became an Assistant Deputy Executive Director for UDC.