SPRINGFIELD - A 19-year veteran of the Ohio prison system will head the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Michael P. Randle, assistant director of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction, replaces Roger Walker, who served in the post for six years.

Gov. Pat Quinn unveiled his out-of-state pick for the $150,000-per-year post at a press conference in the Capitol.

He said Randle, 42, was chosen after a nationwide search that started soon after Quinn took office in January.

"We looked all over the country," Quinn said, calling Randle the "best of the best."

Although he lauded Walker's service, Quinn said it is time for the agency - the third largest in state government - to go in a new direction.

Randle was born in Chicago but moved with his family to Ohio as a young child.

"This is sort of a homecoming for me," Randle said.

In Ohio, Randle served in a number of positions - including warden at two prisons - before moving into prison administration in Columbus.

The Buckeye State's prison system is slightly larger than Illinois', with about 5,000 more inmates and about 2,000 more employees.

Randle said drug rehabilitation programs at Sheridan Correctional Center and Southwestern Correctional Center are national models.

"There are good programs in Illinois," Randle said.

But, Randle said the two systems share many of the same problems, including overcrowded facilities and understaffing that has led to a steep increase in overtime costs.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union, which represents most prison workers, said Randle faces major challenges with staffing shortages and overcrowding.

"We are hopeful we can work with the new director to address these challenges," AFSCME spokesman Anders Lindall said. "It is encouraging that the governor has chosen a corrections professional with experience in a prison system as large and complex as Illinois'."

Lawmakers also were hopeful that Randle would bring changes to the agency.

State Sen. Dan Rutherford, R-Chenoa, spent much of the past six months fighting to stop the proposed closure of Pontiac Correctional Center.

"I think that new leadership is probably appropriate for a new governor," Rutherford said.

Randle graduated with a criminology degree from Ohio State University in 1990. He received an MBA in 2007 from Ashland University.

Walker, 60, acknowledged Tuesday that he would likely be fired as part of Quinn's efforts to replace agency directors who were part of disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich's administration.

Walker, the former sheriff of Macon County, has been recuperating at home from surgery to his stomach and has not been at work for nearly two months.