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, people who have experienced the criminal justice system firsthand. Together, our Board of Advisors represents a cross-section of leaders in who shape criminal justice policy in various parts of the country.
Executive Committee

Justice Michael P. Boggs, Chair
Supreme Court of Georgia, GA
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

Commissioner Marie Williams, Vice Chair
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, TN
Marie
Williams
was
appointed
commissioner
of
the
Tennessee
Department
of
Mental
Health
and
Substance
Abuse
Services
by
Governor
Bill
Haslam
in
October
2016.
Prior
to
that,
she
was
the
department’s
deputy
director,
serving
as
a
top
advisor
to
the
commissioner
...
and
assisting
in
the
closure
of
Lakeshore
Mental
Health
Institute.
The
closure
reinvested
$20.5
million
into
community-based
services
and
enlisted
the
support
of
three
East
Tennessee
private
psychiatric
in-patient
hospital
partners
to
provide
services
to
patients
previously
served
by
Lakeshore.
She
also
worked
with
the
commissioner
to
create
of
the
Prescription
for
Success
initiative,
a
multi-faceted
strategy
to
address
the
prescription
drug
problem
in
Tennessee.
Previously,
Williams
served
as
the
Assistant
Commissioner
of
Mental
Health
Services,
where
she
worked
to
expand
consumer-based
recovery
services
and
oversaw
the
statewide
planning
and
implementation
of
the
behavioral
health
safety
net
program.
Williams
also
launched
the
Creating
Homes
Initiative,
served
as
a
Community
Builder
Fellow
with
the
U.S.
Department
of
Housing
and
Urban
Development,
was
director
of
homeless
services
for
Catholic
Charities
of
Memphis,
and
led
the
Homeless
Services
at
the
Midtown
Mental
Health
Center
in
Memphis.
Read More

Sheriff Peter John Koutoujian, Jr.
Middlesex County Sheriff’s Office, MA
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
(NIC).
Under
Sheriff
Koutoujian,
Middlesex
County
was
also
chosen
as
one
of
three
Data
Driven
Justice
(DDJ)
Project
pilot
sites
by
the
Laura
and
John
Arnold
Foundation.
In
October
of
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 Anne L. Precythe
Missouri Department of Corrections, MO
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
probationers
and
parolees,
and
33,000
inmates.
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

Director Cam Ward
Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles, AL
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.
Sen.
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
Board Members At-Large

Marsha R. Banks
Founder, Executive Director, Amiracle4sure, Inc., Reentry Services, PA
Marsha
R.
Banks
is
the
founder
and
executive
director
of
Amiracle4sure,
Inc.,
a
ministry
that
is
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.
Marsha
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

Commissioner Lynn T. Beshear
Alabama Department of Mental Health, AL
Lynn
T.
Beshear
was
appointed
commissioner
of
the
Alabama
Department
of
Mental
Health
on
July
10,
2017,
by
Governor
Kay
Ivey.
Commissioner
Beshear—who
began
her
career
as
a
nurse—has
served
on
the
boards
of
directors
of
several
groups
and
councils,
...
including
the
American
Heart
Association,
Helping
Montgomery
Families
Initiative,
the
Joint
Public
Charity
Hospital
Board,
Medical
AIDS
Outreach
Advisory
Board,
and
more.
In
addition
to
these
roles,
Commissioner
Beshear
was
part
of
the
team
that
founded
the
Montgomery
Campaign
to
Prevent
Teen
Pregnancy
and
the
Alabama
Campaign
to
Prevent
Teen
Pregnancy.
From
October
2020
through
July
2017,
Commissioner
Beshear
was
the
executive
director
of
Envision
2020,
a
community-driven
strategic
planning
effort
in
central
Alabama
counties
that
sought
to
develop
25
shared
goals
related
to
the
quality
of
life
through
the
use
of
active
partnerships.
Read More

Bryan Collier
Executive Director, Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Bryan
Collier
was
appointed
executive
director
of
the
Texas
Department
of
Criminal
Justice
(TDCJ)
in
August
2016.
In
his
current
role,
he
oversees
the
operations
of
one
of
the
largest
adult
criminal
justice
systems
in
the
country,
for
which
he
...
is
responsible
for
the
confinement
and
care
of
approximately
146,000
felony
offenders,
the
supervision
of
roughly
490,000
people
on
probation
or
parole,
and
the
management
of
nearly
37,000
employees
statewide.
Bryan
began
his
career
in
adult
corrections
more
than
three
decades
ago,
having
joined
the
TDCJ
in
1985
as
a
clerk.
Since
then,
he
has
held
a
wide
variety
of
positions
with
the
agency,
including
correctional
officer,
parole
officer,
unit
supervisor,
program
administrator,
section
director,
parole
division
director,
and
deputy
executive
director.
Bryan
is
an
active
member
of
the
Association
of
State
Correctional
Administrators
and
the
American
Correctional
Association
(ACA),
and
serves
as
an
ex-officio
member
of
the
Texas
Department
of
Information
Resources
board.
He
sits
on
numerous
committees
for
the
ACA,
including
the
Awards
Committee,
the
Board
of
Governors,
the
Congress
Program
Planning
Committee,
and
the
Standards
Committee.
Bryan
formerly
served
as
chair
of
the
ACA
Adult
Corrections
Committee,
is
a
past
member
of
the
ACA
Delegate
Assembly,
and
a
past
member
and
president
of
the
Texas
Corrections
Association
(TCA).
Bryan
has
been
recognized
as
one
of
ACA’s
“Best
in
the
Business”
and
received
the
Dr.
George
J.
Beto
Hall
of
Honor
award
from
the
TCA
in
2013.
He
has
a
BS
in
criminology
and
corrections
from
Sam
Houston
State
University.
Read More

Bernice Corley
Executive Director, Indiana Public Defender Council, IN
Bernice
A.
N.
Corley
is
the
Executive
Director
of
the
Indiana
Public
Defender
Council.
As
Executive
director
she
assist
in
the
managing
of
the
agency
and
carrying
out
the
policies
established
by
the
Board
of
Directors.
Prior
to
joining
the
...
Public
Defender
Council,
Ms.
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.
Ms.
Corley
served
as
a
Marion
County
Public
Defender
Agency
as
trial
counsel
as
well
as
appellate
counsel.
Read More

Laurie Dudgeon
Administrative Office of the Courts, Kentucky Court of Justice
As
director
of
the
Administrative
Office
of
the
Courts,
Laurie
K.
Dudgeon
administers
the
judicial
branch
budget,
monitors
legislation,
and
works
with
county,
state,
and
national
officials
on
court-related
issues.
She
is
responsible
for
providing
administrative
support
to
Kentucky's
404
...
elected
justices,
judges,
and
circuit
court
clerks.
Laurie
previously
practiced
law
in
Kentucky
and
South
Carolina;
she
was
also
executive
director
of
the
Kentucky
Office
of
Drug
Control
Policy
and
a
staff
attorney
in
the
Kentucky
Justice
and
Public
Safety
Cabinet.
She
has
a
BA
and
JD
from
the
University
of
Kentucky.
Read More

Representative Eric K. Hutchings
House Chair, Executive Offices and Criminal Justice Appropriations Subcommittee, Utah House of Representatives, UT
Representative
Eric
K.
Hutchings
has
served
in
the
Utah
House
of
Representatives
since
2001.
He
serves
on
the
Executive
Offices
and
Criminal
Justice
Appropriations
Subcommittee,
the
House
Education
Committee,
and
House
Revenue
and
Taxation
Committee,
among
others.
Rep.
Hutchings
is
...
a
member
of
the
Utah
Commission
on
Criminal
and
Juvenile
Justice
and
the
Salt
Lake
County
Commission
on
Youth
and
is
the
co-chair
of
the
Utah
Reads
Alliance
Community.
He
has
received
the
Community
Leadership
Award
from
the
Utah
Advisory
Board
on
Children’s
Justice
and
an
Outstanding
Public
Service
award
from
the
Utah
Sentencing
Commission,
among
other
honors.
Rep.
Hutchings
received
his
BA
in
Asian
studies
from
Brigham
Young
University.
Read More

Presiding Judge Sharon Keller
Court of Criminal Appeals, TX
Presiding
Judge
Sharon
Keller
was
first
elected
to
the
Texas
Court
of
Criminal
Appeals
in
1994,
the
first
woman
to
serve
on
this
court.
She
was
elected
Presiding
Judge
in
2000
and
has
twice
been
re-elected
to
that
position.
Presiding
...
Judge
Keller
is
the
chairman
of
the
Texas
Indigent
Defense
Commission
and
a
member
of
the
Timothy
Cole
Exoneration
Review
Commission,
and
a
former
chair
of
the
CSG
Justice
Center
Advisory
Board.
She
is
a
Life
Fellow
of
the
Texas
Bar
Foundation
and
a
member
of
the
Judicial
Advisory
Council
to
the
Community
Justice
Assistance
Division
of
the
Texas
Department
of
Criminal
Justice.
By
virtue
of
her
office,
she
is
also
vice-chair
of
the
Texas
Judicial
Council.
In
2003,
Presiding
Judge
Keller
received
the
Distinguished
Alumni
Award
for
Judicial
Service
from
the
SMU
Dedman
School
of
Law.
A
native
Texan,
she
holds
a
bachelor’s
degree
in
philosophy
from
Rice
University
and
a
JD
degree
from
Southern
Methodist
University
School
of
Law.
Read More

Representative John Lovick
Representative, State House of Representatives, State of Washington
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
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

Director Joe O'Leary
Oregon Youth Authority, OR
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
its
acting
director,
Joe
is
responsible
for
overseeing
the
operations
of
the
agency,
which
serves
approximately
1,400
youth
ages
12‐24
at
any
given
time.
Immediately
before
joining
OYA
as
deputy
director
in
June
2012,
he
ran
the
Policy,
Planning
and
Legislative
Analysis
Division
at
the
Oregon
Public
Employees
Retirement
System.
Prior
to
his
state
government
service,
Joe
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.
Joe
received
his
undergraduate
degree
from
the
Catholic
University
of
America
in
Washington,
D.C.
and
his
juris
doctorate
from
Lewis
&
Clark
Law
School
in
Portland.
Read More

Sheriff John R. Mehr
Madison County Sheriff's Office, TN
Sheriff
John
R.
Mehr
was
elected
to
serve
as
the
Sheriff
of
Madison
County,
Tennessee
in
August
2014
and
was
reelected
in
2018.
His
entire
working
career
has
been
devoted
to
law
enforcement,
with
38
of
those
years
with
the
...
Tennessee
Bureau
of
Investigation.
Sheriff
Mehr
received
his
Bachelor
of
Science
Degree
in
Law
Enforcement
from
the
University
of
Tennessee
Martin
and
his
Master’s
Degree
from
The
University
of
Memphis.
He
is
a
2008
graduate
of
the
Tennessee
Government
Management
Institute.
Sheriff
Mehr’s
first
job
was
as
a
Police
Officer
with
the
Bells
Police
Department.
In
1975,
Mehr
joined
the
Tennessee
Bureau
of
Investigation
as
a
Special
Agent
for
the
Criminal
Investigation
Division
and
was
assigned
to
the
Nashville,
Murfreesboro,
Jackson
and
Dyersburg,
Tennessee
areas.
After
10
years
of
service
as
a
Special
Agent,
he
was
promoted
to
Special
Agent
Coordinator
of
Drug
Investigations
for
the
Western
Tennessee
District
of
the
T.B.I.
He
served
the
Bureau
in
this
capacity
from
1985
until
1991,
and
was
appointed
to
Special
Agent
in
Charge
for
the
Western
District
of
Tennessee,
Criminal
Investigation
Division,
in
which
he
served
from
1991
until
his
retirement
in
2012.
Sheriff
Mehr’s
continuing
professional
education
includes
a
graduate
of
the
F.B.I.
National
Academy,
Federal
Bureau
of
Investigation,
139th
session;
F.B.I.
Law
Enforcement
Executive
Development
Seminar.
A
graduate
of
the
Drug
Enforcement
Administration
Officers
Academy,
Drug
Enforcement
Administration
Drug
Commander
Supervisory
Training
Program,
FBI’s
Tennessee
Law
Enforcement
Executive
Development
Seminar
and
the
National
Sheriff’s
Institute.
Sheriff
Mehr’s
certifications
include
Certified
Law
Enforcement
Officer,
Tennessee
Law
Enforcement
Planning
Commission;
Certified
Fraud
Examiner,
Association
of
Certified
Fraud
Examiners,
Austin,
Texas;
and
he
held
a
Top
Secret
Clearance
with
Federal
Bureau
of
Investigation
until
his
retirement
from
the
TBI.
Sheriff
Mehr’s
memberships
have
included,
F.B.I.
Domestic
Terrorism
Working
Group;
the
U.S.
Department
of
Justice;
Association
of
Certified
Fraud
Investigators;
the
F.B.I.
National
Academy
Associates;
and
the
West
Tennessee
Criminal
Investigators
Association,
where
he
served
as
President
from
2000–2002
and
honored
as
Officer
of
the
Year
for
2005-2006.
Past
awards
include
Certificate
of
Appreciation,
Department
of
Treasury,
Bureau
of
Alcohol,
Tobacco
and
Firearms
(May
1985);
Certificate
of
Appreciation,
Memphis
Police
Department
(July
1986);
Certificate
of
Appreciation,
25th
Judicial
District
State
of
Tennessee,
U.S.
Attorney
General
(March
1991);
Special
Commendation
Award,
U.S.
Department
of
Justice,
U.S.
Attorney
General
(January
1992);
Certificate
of
Appreciation
(U.S.
Secret
Service
(1992);
and
Award
for
Public
Service,
U.S.
General
Services
Administration,
Inspector
General’s
Office
(June
1994).
Director’s
Award
from
Tennessee
Highway
Safety
Office
in
2018,
Union
University
2018
Champion
of
Victims’
Rights
Award.
Sheriff
Mehr
serves
on
the
Freed
Hardeman
University
Mid-South
Youth
Camp
Advisory
Board.
UT
Law
Enforcement
Innovation
Center
Board,
Madison
County
E911
Board
Statewide
Tennessee
CIT
Task
Force
Committee.
Tennessee
Pre-Arrest
Coalition.
He
has
also
has
been
an
Adjunct
Professor
for
University
of
Tennessee
at
Martin.
Recently
appointed
to
the
State
Board
of
NAMI,
the
National
Alliance
on
Mental
Illness.
Read More

Ann Miller
Managing Attorney, Defender's Office of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, MT
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

Chief Gordon Ramsay
Wichita Police Department, KS
Chief
Gordon
Ramsay
has
been
the
Wichita
Police
Chief
since
January
2016.
A
long-time
proponent
of
community
policing,
he
also
served
for
nearly
a
decade
as
police
chief
in
Duluth,
Minnesota,
where
he
had
been
a
member
of
the
force
...
since
1996.
He
is
a
past
president
of
the
Minnesota
Chiefs
of
Police
Association
and
served
as
the
general
chair
of
the
International
Association
of
Chiefs
of
Police,
Midsize
Agencies
Division.
Chief
Ramsay
received
his
BA
in
criminology
and
sociology
from
the
University
of
Minnesota-Duluth
and
his
MA
in
management
from
the
College
of
St.
Scholastica.
He
is
also
a
graduate
of
the
FBI
National
Academy
Session
222.
Read More

Senator Richard Sears
Chair, Judiciary Committee, Vermont Senate, VT
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
youth
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

Charles A. Spahos
Chief Financial Crimes Prosecutor, North Carolina Conference of District Attorneys, NC
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
five-and-a-half
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
during
those
three
years.
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;
and
also
served
as
an
assistant
district
attorney
upon
graduating
from
law
school.
Spahos
received
his
BS
in
criminal
justice
from
Mercer
University
in
1994
and
graduated
magna
cum
laude
from
John
Marshall
Law
School
in
1997.
Spahos
served
in
the
U.S.
Army
National
Guard
from
1987-1992
and
was
on
active
duty
during
Operation
Desert
Storm.
Read More

Thomas Stickrath
Director, Ohio Department of Public Safety, OH
Thomas
Stickrath
brings
more
than
30
years
of
experience
in
the
criminal
justice
field
to
the
Ohio
Attorney
General’s
Office.
Stickrath
began
his
career
in
1978
with
the
Ohio
Department
of
Rehabilitation
and
Correction
(DRC)
and
subsequently
served
as
warden
...
at
the
Orient
Correctional
Institution
and
regional
director
of
the
DRC,
before
being
named
assistant
director
in
1991.
In
2005,
Governor
Bob
Taft
appointed
him
the
director
of
the
Ohio
Department
of
Youth
Services
(DYS).
Under
his
leadership,
the
department
achieved
national
accreditation
for
all
of
its
programs,
earning
DYS
the
American
Correctional
Association’s
distinguished
Eagle
Award.
In
May
of
2010,
Governor
Ted
Strickland
appointed
Stickrath
the
director
of
the
Department
of
Public
Safety,
where
he
oversaw
the
State
Highway
Patrol,
Bureau
of
Motor
Vehicles,
and
Homeland
Security.
In
January
2011,
Attorney
General
Mike
DeWine
tapped
Stickrath
to
serve
as
superintendent
of
the
Bureau
of
Criminal
Investigation,
overseeing
the
state
crime
lab
and
a
team
of
law
enforcement
professionals.
Stickrath
also
chairs
Ohio’s
Homeland
Security
Advisory
Council.
He
has
served
extensively
as
a
consultant
on
criminal
justice
issues
to
various
organizations
and
state
governments.
Stickrath
received
his
bachelor’s
degree
in
business
administration
from
The
Ohio
State
University
and
his
JD
from
The
Ohio
State
University
Moritz
College
of
Law,
and
in
2011
received
the
University’s
“Distinguished
Service
Award."
Read More

Secretary John Wetzel
Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, PA
John
Wetzel
was
appointed
Secretary
of
Corrections
for
the
Pennsylvania
Department
of
Corrections
in
January
2011
by
Governor
Tom
Corbett
and
was
reappointed
by
Governor
Tom
Wolf
in
January
2015.
Wetzel
has
presided
over
the
first
prison
population
reduction
in
...
Pennsylvania
in
more
than
four
decades,
a
restructuring
of
the
community
corrections
and
mental
health
systems,
and
a
re-engineering
of
internal
processes
to
yield
a
more
efficient
program
delivery.
He
has
nearly
30
years
of
experience
in
the
corrections
field,
including
as
a
corrections
officer,
treatment
counselor,
warden,
and
training
academy
director.
He
is
a
member
of
the
Charles
Colson
Task
Force
on
Federal
Corrections,
which
is
focused
on
reducing
prison
populations.
He
is
also
a
member
of
Harvard’s
Executive
Session
on
Community
Corrections,
which
is
a
joint
project
of
Harvard’s
John
F.
Kennedy
School
of
Government
and
the
National
Institute
of
Justice
that
works
to
shape
the
future
of
community
corrections
policy
in
the
United
States.
He
is
a
graduate
of
Bloomsburg
University
of
Pennsylvania
and,
in
May
2016,
was
presented
with
an
honorary
doctorate
degree
by
the
Indiana
University
of
Pennsylvania.
Read More

Justice Joseph A. Zayas
Administrative Judge, Supreme Court, Criminal Term, Queens County, NY
Joseph
A.
Zayas,
an
elected
justice
of
the
Supreme
Court,
was
appointed
the
administrative
judge
for
Supreme
Court,
Criminal
Term,
in
Queens
County,
New
York
(11th
Judicial
District)
in
January
2013.
In
addition
to
his
administrative
responsibilities,
Justice
Zayas
also
...
presides
over
jury
trials
and
the
county’s
old
case
calendar.
Previously,
he
served
as
judge
of
the
Court
of
Claims,
Acting
Supreme
Court
Justice,
and
judge
of
the
Criminal
Court
of
the
City
of
New
York,
presiding
over
Drug
Treatment
Court,
Mental
Health
Court,
and
Youth
Court.
Earlier
in
his
career,
Justice
Zayas
served
as
the
principal
law
clerk
for
Supreme
Court
Justice
Rolando
T.
Acosta
at
the
Harlem
Community
Justice
Center,
a
multi-jurisdictional,
problem-solving
court
serving
the
communities
of
East
and
Central
Harlem.
He
is
a
frequent
lecturer
and
presenter
on
legal
and
judicial
subjects
including
drug,
mental
health,
and
youth
courts,
and
conducts
seminars
for
new
judges.
Justice
Zayas
received
his
bachelor’s
degree
magna
cum
laude
from
Fordham
University’s
College
at
Lincoln
Center
and
his
JD
from
Columbia
University
School
of
Law,
where
he
was
a
Charles
Evan
Hughes
Fellow.
Read More