HARRISBURG, Pa. (WHTM) — Dr. Margaret Moore is a trailblazer in the criminal justice field, holding several top positions in corrections in Pennsylvania and Washington, D.C.

Moore was the first woman to serve as a superintendent at all an all-male prison for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, the first woman to serve as deputy commissioner of the Pennsylvania Prison System, and the first woman to lead the Washington D.C. Department of Corrections.

She started her career as a counselor at a community-based correctional facility. She never expected to stay in the field but really connected with the people she was helping.

“What I found really early on was that I was challenged by the work I was doing and identified with the woman I was working with,” she said.

Moore credits her success to her persistence.

“One of the things that propel me into action more than anything is someone telling me something that I can’t do,” she said.

She is enjoying retirement now but is still involved in the community. She is on the board of directions for Sound Community Solutions, a non-profit that provides mentoring for men and women coming out of prison. She also works with Youth 10x’s Better, another non-profit that focuses on prevention and early intervention.

A former co-worker submitted her application for the Remarkable Women Contest.