Advisory Board
Our Advisory Board establishes the policy and project priorities of The Council of State Governments Justice Center. The board features state legislators from both political parties, judicial leaders, health and human service agency administrators, victim advocates, corrections administrators, juvenile justice professionals, law enforcement officials, and people who have experienced the criminal justice system firsthand. Together, our Advisory Board represents a cross-section of leaders who shape criminal justice policy in various parts of the country.
Executive Committee
Commissioner, Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Marie
Williams,
LCSW,
serves
as
commissioner
for
the
Tennessee
Department
of
Mental
Health
and
Substance
Abuse
Services
(TDMHSAS).
Under
her
leadership,
the
state
has
initiated
many
criminal
justice
reforms,
proactively
responded
to
the
opioid
crisis,
and
developed
innovative
ways
to
...
address
emergency
department
boarding
of
psychiatric
patients,
among
other
initiatives.
Ms.
Williams
was
reappointed
as
commissioner
by
Governor
Bill
Lee
on
January
19,
2019,
and
was
initially
appointed
to
the
post
by
Gov.
Bill
Haslam,
effective
October
22,
2016.
Under
her
guidance
and
strategic
vision
and
with
support
from
the
state's
elected
leaders
and
federal
government
partners,
the
TDMHSAS
annual
budget
has
grown
from
$337
million
to
more
than
$500
million.
Innovative
new
programs
instituted
under
her
leadership
include
the
Creating
Homes
Initiative,
which
has
created
more
than
28,000
housing
opportunities
and
leveraged
more
than
$850
million
in
funding
for
people
living
with
behavioral
health
challenges;
prearrest
diversion
infrastructure
projects
across
Tennessee,
which
kept
more
than
13,000
people
out
of
jail
and
saved
local
governments
nearly
$10
million
in
the
first
two
years;
and
the
Tennessee
Recovery
Navigators
who
interact
with
people
in
emergency
departments
and
successfully
connect
more
than
75
percent
of
them
to
substance
use
disorder
treatment.
Ms.
Williams
provides
leadership
and
oversight
to
1,849
full-time
positions
that
assist
individuals
in
securing
treatment
and
recovery
services
for
serious
mental
illness,
serious
emotional
disturbances,
and
substance
use
disorders.
She
began
her
career
in
behavioral
health
as
a
mental
health
case
manager
for
people
experiencing
homelessness
and
substance
use
disorders
in
Memphis,
Tennessee,
and
that
front-line
experience
still
informs
her
decision-making
and
thought
processes.
Read More
Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Georgia
Justice
Michael
P.
Boggs
serves
on
the
Supreme
Court
of
Georgia.
Previously,
Justice
Boggs
served
as
a
judge
on
the
Court
of
Appeals
of
Georgia
from
2012
through
2016.
Prior
to
his
appellate
judicial
service,
Justice
Boggs
served
as
a
...
superior
court
judge
where
he
founded
his
circuit’s
felony
drug
court
program,
and
served
as
its
presiding
judge.
Justice
Boggs
also
previously
served
in
the
Georgia
General
Assembly.
Justice
Boggs
has
received
numerous
awards
and
recognitions
throughout
his
legislative
and
judicial
career,
including
the
Georgia
Sheriff’s
Association
“Leadership
Award,”
the
Georgia
District
Attorney’s
Association
“Commitment
to
Justice
Award,”
recognition
for
his
support
of
the
Magnolia
House
Shelter
for
abused
women
and
child
victims
of
domestic
violence,
and
the
Boy
Scouts
of
America
“Golden
Eagle”
Award.
In
2017,
Justice
Boggs
was
awarded
the
prestigious
St.
Thomas
More
Award
for
his
work
in
leading
the
state
in
criminal
justice
reform,
and
in
2019
was
awarded
the
“Spirit
of
Justice”
award
by
the
Appellate
Practice
Section
of
the
State
Bar
of
Georgia.
Justice
Boggs
served
as
a
member
of
Georgia’s
Special
Council
on
Criminal
Justice
Reform
in
2011
and
served
as
co-chair
of
the
Georgia
Criminal
Justice
Reform
Council
from
2012
to
2018.
He
currently
serves
as
a
member
of
Georgia’s
Behavioral
Health
Reform
and
Innovation
Commission
and
chairs
the
Mental
Health
Courts
and
Corrections
subcommittee.
Justice
Boggs
also
serves
on
the
Pew
Public
Safety
Performance
Project
Councils
on
Jails/Pretrial
and
Community
Corrections
and
Civil
Justice
Reform,
as
well
as
the
National
Center
for
State
Courts
Evidence-Based
Sentencing
Peer
Group.
Justice
Boggs
is
a
member
of
the
Georgia
Judicial
Nominating
Commission,
the
Mercer
Law
School
Board
of
Visitors,
and
the
Board
of
Directors
of
the
Bobby
Dodd
Coach
of
the
Year
Foundation.
Read More
Director, Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles
Cam
Ward
is
the
director
of
the
Alabama
Bureau
of
Pardons
and
Paroles,
where
he
is
responsible
for
all
agency
operations
in
support
of
the
Alabama
Board
of
Pardons
and
Paroles.
From
2011
to
2020,
Ward
served
in
the
Alabama
...
State
Senate,
where
he
chaired
the
Senate
Judiciary
Committee
for
nine
years.
In
2014,
he
was
appointed
by
Governor
Robert
Bentley
to
serve
as
the
chair
of
Alabama’s
Prison
Reform
Task
Force,
which
is
a
group
of
state
policymakers
and
practitioners
that
guides
the
Justice
Reinvestment
Initiative
in
Alabama.
Ward
previously
served
two
terms
in
the
Alabama
House
of
Representatives.
He
received
his
bachelor’s
degree
from
Troy
University
and
his
JD
from
Cumberland
School
of
Law
at
Samford
University.
Read More
Executive Director, Indiana Public Defender Council
Bernice
A.
N.
Corley
is
the
executive
director
of
the
Indiana
Public
Defender
Council.
As
executive
director,
she
helps
manage
the
agency
and
carry
out
the
policies
established
by
the
Board
of
Directors.
Prior
to
joining
the
Public
Defender
Council,
...
Corley
served
four
years
as
general
counsel
at
the
Department
of
Education
and
also
served
as
legal
counsel
for
both
the
Indiana
Senate
and
Indiana
House
of
Representatives.
Her
career
includes
clerking
for
Hon.
Carr
Darden.
Corley
served
as
a
Marion
County
public
defender,
as
trial
counsel,
as
well
as
appellate
counsel.
Read More
Sheriff, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
During
his
nearly
eight
years
in
office,
Sheriff
Peter
Koutoujian
has
initiated
several
landmark
programs
at
the
Middlesex
Sheriff’s
Office
that
have
garnered
national
attention.
These
include
a
medication-assisted
treatment
program
recognized
as
a
Center
of
Excellence
by
the
National
...
Institute
of
Corrections.
Under
Sheriff
Koutoujian,
Middlesex
County
was
also
chosen
as
one
of
three
Data
Driven
Justice
Project
pilot
sites
by
Arnold
Ventures.
In
October
2017,
he
was
selected
by
his
peers
to
serve
as
president
of
the
Massachusetts
Sheriffs’
Association;
he
is
also
a
founding
member
of
Law
Enforcement
Leaders
to
Reduce
Crime
&
Incarceration
and
has
been
recognized
as
a
“champion
of
justice
reform”
by
the
Coalition
for
Public
Safety.
Sheriff
Koutoujian
is
a
graduate
of
Bridgewater
State
University,
the
New
England
School
of
Law,
and
Harvard
University’s
Kennedy
School
of
Government.
Read More
Director, Missouri Department of Corrections
Anne
L.
Precythe
became
the
director
of
the
Missouri
Department
of
Corrections
in
2017.
In
this
role,
Precythe
is
responsible
for
21
adult
correctional
facilities,
6
community
supervision
centers,
a
community
release
center,
and
more
than
40
probation
and
parole
...
offices
across
Missouri.
She
oversees
more
than
11,000
staff,
58,000
people
on
probation
and
parole,
and
33,000
incarcerated
people.
Before
becoming
the
second
woman
to
serve
as
director
of
the
department,
Precythe
was
the
director
of
the
Division
of
Community
Corrections
in
the
North
Carolina
Department
of
Public
Safety,
where
she
served
from
March
2013
to
December
2016.
Previously,
Precythe
served
as
the
North
Carolina
Division
of
Community
Corrections
Supervision
Services
administrator.
In
2015,
she
was
appointed
by
United
States
Attorney
Eric
Holder
to
the
National
Institute
of
Corrections
Advisory
Board,
representing
community
corrections
across
the
country.
Read More
Senator, Illinois General Assembly
Senator
Elgie
R.
Sims
Jr.
serves
as
state
senator
for
the
17th
Illinois
Senate
District.
Prior
to
joining
the
Illinois
Senate,
he
served
nearly
four
terms
as
state
representative
of
Illinois’s
34th
House
District.
A
member
of
the
Illinois
Senate
...
Criminal
Law
Committee,
Sims
is
one
of
Illinois’s
leading
voices
in
the
effort
to
reform
the
state’s
criminal
justice
system.
Sims
has
also
spearheaded
efforts
to
pass
a
comprehensive
criminal
justice
reform
bill
that
will
change
the
current
use
of
force
policy
and
how
courts
impose
bail
and
sentence
people.
Sims
led
efforts
to
move
Illinois
away
from
the
use
of
cash
bail
through
passage
of
the
Bail
Reform
Act
of
2017.
Sims
holds
a
BA
in
political
science
from
Illinois
State
University,
an
MPA
from
the
University
of
Illinois,
and
a
JD
from
Loyola
University
Chicago
School
of
Law.
Read More
Board Members At-Large
Founder and Executive Director, Amiracle4sure, Inc.
Marsha
R.
Curry-Nixon
is
the
founder
and
executive
director
of
Amiracle4sure,
Inc.,
a
ministry
focused
on
renewing,
refreshing,
and
restoring
the
lives
of
people
reentering
the
community
after
incarceration.
Her
work
as
an
educator,
counselor,
and
mentor
has
brought
her
...
to
prisons,
rehabilitation
facilities,
and
churches
with
the
intention
of
educating
communities
on
the
needs
of
this
population.
Curry-Nixon
sits
on
the
executive
board
for
the
Capital
Region
Ex-Offenders
Coalition,
is
an
advisory
board
member
for
Correctional
Ministries
Chaplains
Association,
and
is
a
trainer
and
facilitator
for
Healing
Communities
of
PA.
She
earned
her
associate
degree
at
Harrisburg
Area
Community
College,
her
bachelor’s
at
Lebanon
Valley
College,
and
an
MA
in
public
service
leadership.
Read More
Senator, Ohio General Assembly
Senator
Theresa
Gavarone
has
served
in
the
Ohio
Senate
since
2019
and
is
currently
in
her
first
full
term
after
having
previously
served
in
the
Ohio
House
since
2016.
As
a
resident
of
Wood
County
for
over
35
years,
Senator
...
Gavarone
has
an
extensive
background
representing
the
community,
including
serving
on
the
Bowling
Green
City
Council. Gavarone
has
worked
on
a
variety
of
legislative
issues
in
recent
years.
She
is
passionate
about
advocating
for
her
constituents,
and
many
of
the
bills
that
she
has
championed
were
due
to
conversations
she
had
with
members
of
the
community.
Gavarone
has
sponsored
numerous
bills
on
many
different
topics
including
elections
security,
religious
freedom
of
expression,
school
bus
safety,
mental
health
care
access,
communications
disabilities,
cybersecurity,
water
quality,
and
others.
She
holds
a
bachelor’s
degree
in
business
administration
from
Bowling
Green
State
University
and
a
JD
from
the
University
of
Toledo
College
of
Law.
Read More
Senator, Washington State Legislature
John
Lovick
was
appointed
to
the
Washington
House
of
Representatives
in
2016.
He
previously
served
in
the
House
for
nine
years
beginning
in
1998,
which
included
five
years
as
speaker
pro
tempore;
he
also
served
on
the
Mill
Creek
City
...
Council,
which
included
a
year
as
mayor
pro
tempore.
In
2007,
Lovick
was
elected
as
Snohomish
County
Sheriff,
a
position
he
served
in
until
2013,
when
he
was
appointed
to
be
the
Snohomish
County
Executive.
Lovick
served
as
a
state
trooper
in
the
Washington
State
Patrol
for
31
years
and
was
named
Trooper
of
the
Year
in
1992.
He
also
served
in
the
United
States
Coast
Guard
for
13
years.
Read More
Assistant Commissioner, New Jersey Department of Human Services
Valerie
Mielke
is
the
assistant
commissioner
for
the
New
Jersey
Division
of
Mental
Health
and
Addiction
Services
in
the
Department
of
Human
Services,
which
serves
as
the
Single
State
Agency
for
Substance
Abuse
and
the
State
Mental
Health
Authority
as
...
designated
by
the
U.S.
Substance
Abuse
and
Mental
Health
Services
Administration.
Mielke
currently
serves
(as
past
president)
on
the
National
Association
of
State
Mental
Health
Program
Directors
Board
of
Directors
and
served
as
president
from
2019
to
2021. Additionally,
Mielke
serves
as
a
board
member
of
the
National
Association
of
State
Alcohol
and
Drug
Abuse
Directors
Public
Policy
Committee. Mielke
holds
a
BA
from
Fairfield
University
and
an
MSW
from
Rutgers
University.
Read More
Managing Attorney, Tribal Defenders Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes
Ann
M.
Miller
has
been
an
attorney
with
the
Tribal
Defenders
Office
of
the
Confederated
Salish
and
Kootenai
Tribes
on
the
Flathead
Reservation
in
Montana
for
23
years
and
the
managing
attorney
for
13.
During
her
tenure,
the
Defenders
Office
...
implemented
an
innovative
in-house
service
for
clients
with
co-occurring
mental
illness
and
chemical
dependency
and
adopted
a
holistic
defense
practice
with
assistance
from
the
Center
for
Holistic
Defense,
sponsored
by
the
Bronx
Defenders
Office
in
New
York.
In
2015,
her
office
created
the
Flathead
Reservation
Reentry
Program
that
provides
interdisciplinary,
supportive
services
for
tribal
members
returning
to
the
reservation
from
incarceration.
Miller
served
on
Montana’s
Public
Defender
Commission
for
six
years
and
Montana’s
Statewide
Reentry
Task
Force
for
two.
She
currently
serves
on
the
Missoula
Criminal
Justice
Coordinating
Council
that
seeks
criminal
justice
reform
in
Missoula,
Montana.
Read More
Director, Oregon Youth Authority
In
February
2018,
Joe
O’Leary
became
the
director
of
the
Oregon
Youth
Authority
(OYA),
the
state’s
juvenile
justice
agency,
after
serving
as
acting
director
since
September
2017,
and
as
its
deputy
director
before
that.
His
professional
experience
ranges
from
working
...
as
a
public
defender
to
advising
two
governors
on
public
safety
and
legal
issues.
As
the
OYA
director,
Joe
is
responsible
for
overseeing
the
operations
of
the
agency,
which
serves
approximately
1,400
youths
ages
12‐24
at
any
given
time.
Immediately
before
joining
OYA
as
deputy
director
in
June
2012,
O'Leary
ran
the
Policy,
Planning
and
Legislative
Analysis
Division
at
the
Oregon
Public
Employees
Retirement
System.
Prior
to
his
state
government
service,
O'Leary
was
a
trial
attorney
in
Portland.
He
began
his
legal
career
as
a
public
defender,
which
included
a
stint
in
juvenile
court.
Afterward,
he
spent
several
years
in
private
practice
representing
members
of
law
enforcement,
corporate
officers,
lawyers,
and
employees.
Prior
to
attending
law
school,
he
worked
in
a
Latino
farmworker
community
in
Central
Washington
as
a
volunteer
housing
program
coordinator
through
the
Jesuit
Volunteer
Corps
Northwest.
He
received
his
undergraduate
degree
from
the
Catholic
University
of
America
in
Washington,
DC,
and
his
JD
from
Lewis
&
Clark
Law
School
in
Portland.
Read More
Executive Director, Center for Justice and Human Dignity
Christopher
Poulos
is
an
attorney
and
executive
director
of
the
Center
for
Justice
and
Human
Dignity.
He
previously
served
as
director
of
Person-Centered
Services
at
the
Washington
State
Department
of
Corrections,
was
executive
director
of
the
Washington
Statewide
Reentry
Council,
...
and
developed
and
taught
a
course
on
drug
law
and
policy
at
Seattle
University
School
of
Law.
Poulos
advised
U.S.
Senator
Angus
King
on
addiction
and
justice
policy,
served
on
several
criminal
justice
task
forces,
and
served
at
the
White
House
Office
of
National
Drug
Control
Policy
and
The
Sentencing
Project.
He
graduated
cum
laude
from
the
University
of
Maine
School
of
Law.
Before
that,
Poulos
overcame
tragic
family
losses,
addiction,
homelessness,
and
a
federal
incarceration.
He
now
dedicates
his
life
to
helping
others
overcome
or
avoid
similar
challenges
and
supports
a
public
health-based
approach
to
addressing
addiction.
Read More
Representative, North Dakota Legislative Assembly
Representative
Shannon
Roers
Jones
has
served
in
the
North
Dakota
legislature
since
2016. While
serving
on
the
Judiciary
Committee,
Roers
Jones
has
been
a
leading
voice
on
criminal
justice
reform
and
substance
use
disorders. Roers
Jones
developed
legislation
to
seal
criminal
records,
...
expand
access
to
harm
reduction
resources,
allow
greater
access
to
driving
privileges
for
those
participating
in
24/7
sobriety
programs,
and
improve
cooperation
between
Tribal,
state,
county,
and
municipal
law
enforcement. She
has
served
on
boards
of
directors
for
multiple
nonprofit
organizations
that
focus
on
addiction
and
successful
reentry. As
a
person
in
recovery,
Roers
Jones
received
the
Governor’s
Phoenix
Award
for
her
efforts
advancing
these
issues. She
holds
a
BA
in
business
from
the
College
of
St.
Benedict,
an
MBA
from
the
University
of
St.
Thomas,
and
a
JD
from
the
University
of
North
Dakota
School
of
Law.
Read More
Senator, Vermont General Assembly
Vermont
Senator
Richard
Sears
has
served
in
the
Vermont
State
Legislature
for
24
years
and
has
chaired
the
state’s
Senate
Judiciary
Committee
for
20
years.
A
passionate
advocate
for
improving
the
criminal
justice
system,
Sen.
Sears
also
chairs
the
Corrections
...
Oversight
Committee
and
has
worked
with
residential
programs
for
troubled
youths
for
more
than
35
years.
Sen.
Sears
began
his
public
service
in
1987,
when
he
was
elected
to
the
Bennington
Select
Board,
where
he
served
for
seven
years
before
his
election
to
the
Vermont
State
Legislature
in
1992.
Sen.
Sears
received
his
bachelor’s
degree
from
the
University
of
Vermont.
Read More
Chief Financial Crimes Prosecutor, North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys
Charles
A.
“Chuck”
Spahos
has
been
the
chief
financial
crimes
prosecutor
for
the
North
Carolina
Conference
of
District
Attorneys
since
January
2018.
Prior
to
this
role,
Spahos
served
more
than
5
years
as
the
executive
director
of
the
Prosecuting
Attorneys'
...
Council
of
Georgia
following
more
than
10
years
as
the
elected
solicitor-general
of
Henry
County,
Georgia.
He
previously
practiced
law
as
a
sole
practitioner
and
served
as
the
solicitor
for
the
City
of
McDonough
Municipal
Court.
Additionally,
Spahos
is
a
certified
police
officer,
having
been
a
patrol
officer,
a
narcotics
investigator,
and
later
the
chief
investigator
of
the
Flint
Judicial
Circuit
District
Attorney’s
Office.
He
also
served
as
an
assistant
district
attorney
upon
graduating
from
law
school.
Spahos
received
his
BS
in
criminal
justice
from
Mercer
University
and
graduated
magna
cum
laude
from
John
Marshall
Law
School.
Spahos
served
in
the
U.S.
Army
National
Guard
from
1987
to
1992
and
was
on
active
duty
during
Operation
Desert
Storm.
Read More
Senator, Arkansas General Assembly
Clarke
Tucker
has
served
in
the
Arkansas
State
Senate
since
2021.
Tucker
was
previously
a
state
representative
in
the
Arkansas
General
Assembly
from
2015
through
2018,
where
he
served
on
the
Judiciary
Committee
and
as
the
chairperson
of
the
Courts/Civil
...
Law
Permanent
Subcommittee
of
the
Judiciary
Committee.
He
has
been
in
private
law
practice
since
2008,
where
his
primary
area
of
practice
has
been
litigation.
Tucker
was
a
law
clerk
for
the
Honorable
J.
Leon
Holmes
of
the
U.S.
District
Court
for
the
Eastern
District
of
Arkansas
from
2006
to
2008.
He
has
an
AB
in
government
from
Harvard
University
and
a
law
degree
from
the
University
of
Arkansas,
where
he
graduated
magna
cum
laude
and
served
as
editor-in-chief
of
the
Arkansas
Law
Review.
Read More