Georgia Board of Pardons and Parole

Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles is the constitutionally authorized component of the state government in the field of paroles, pardons, reprieves, remissions, and commutations. The board is also authorized to "restore civil and political rights," and its mission is to "enhance public safety by making informed parole decisions and successfully transitioning offenders back into the community" (http://www.pap.state.ga.us).

The State Board of Pardons and Paroles Members

The Chairman of the Board is James E. Donald, who was elected to the post in June 2010, and began serving his term on July 1, 2010. Donald has had experience in the field of corrections, having served as Commissioner of the Department of Corrections. The Georgia prison system is the fifth largest prison system in the United States; there are approximately 200,000 felons in the system and Donald oversaw the work of 15,000 employees in the system.

Donald has a track record of accomplishment; according to his resume he showed leadership in the relocation of the Corrections Headquarters to Tift Campus in Forsyth, Georgia. This relocation of the headquarters has saved the state of Georgia approximately $4 million a year. Before he became involved in corrections in Georgia, Donald retired as a Major General of the U.S. Army Forces Command, earning a Bronze Star for his leadership with the 101st Airborne Division (the "Screaming Eagles") in the first Gulf War.

L. Gale Buckner became a member of the Board in 2005, receiving an appointment from Governor Sonny Perdue. Buckner has a wide range of experiences that qualify her to serve on the Board. She was honored as "Officer of the Year" in the Chatsworth Police Department, having been promoted to the rank of sergeant. In 1981 Buckner also served as an investigative undercover operative with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and by 1984 she had earned the Director's Award for Outstanding Investigations. She has served on the advisory board of the National Criminal Justice Association and several other boards in Georgia. Buckner has a Graduate Degree from Brenau University.

Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Robert E. Keller to the Board in 2007. Prior to joining the Board Keller served as executive council -- and also as chairman -- for the Prosecuting Attorneys Council of Georgia. Keller has been on the Board of Trustees of the Georgia Judicial Retirement System and the Georgia Code Revision Plan Committee. He has a law degree from Emory Law School.

In May 2010, Governor Sonny Perdue appointed Albert Murray to the Board, and Murray was elected to the position of Vice Chairman -- a position which he began serving in July 2010. Prior to that appointment Murray had a successful career in Tennessee and Alabama in the field of corrections. Murray was the longest serving juvenile justice commissioner in the history of the state of Georgia, having served in that position from January 23, 2004, to May 14, 2010. His legacy at the DJJ includes strengthening community programs and ending the U.S. Department of Justice's oversight of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice.