ATLANTA - Today, the State Board of Pardons and Paroles elected Terry E. Barnard as its next chairman to succeed James Mills on July 1, 2018.

“I am humbled to be asked by my colleagues on the Board to serve again as chairman. The professionalism we have among our members is second to none and as a Board we will continue to move this agency forward, bringing about enhancements to our operations and the clemency process to improve public safety and our communities,” stated Barnard.

Mr. Barnard served three previous one-year terms as Parole Board Chairman from July 1, 2014, to June 30, 2017. He’s been a member of the Board since May 2010 and was reappointed last December by Governor Deal to a second seven-year term as a member of the Parole Board.

At the June monthly meeting, the Parole Board also elected a new Vice Chairman in Brian Owens. Owens, a member of the Board since February of 2015, is the former commissioner of the Department of Corrections. He will succeed Braxton Cotton as vice chairman on July 1, 2018.

James W. Mills is serving as chairman for fiscal year 2018.

“Leading this Board over the past year has been rewarding and demanding. It has been my honor to serve in this leadership capacity and as a member of the Parole Board.  I look forward to working with our new leadership and the full board as we continue to meet ongoing challenges and further implement Governor Deal’s Criminal Justice Reform initiatives,” stated Mills.

Mr. Mills previously served as vice chairman of the Parole Board for three years.

Parole Board Members are full-time employees of the agency, appointed by the governor to seven-year terms. Board Members are constitutional officers who have sole discretion to vote on the release of Georgia prison inmates. The Board is the only entity in Georgia with the authority to commute a death sentence.

The Parole Board:

James Mills currently serves as the chairman. He served in the state legislature for nineteen years prior to his appointment to the Parole Board and served as Secretary of the Rules Committee and Chairman of the Banks and Banking Committee among his many committee appointments. Mr. Mills is also a successful businessman in Gainesville.

Braxton Cotton currently serves as vice chairman. He is a former Milledgeville Police Officer, Detective with the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Department, former State Trooper and former Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. Mr. Cotton was appointed to the Board in 2013.

Terry Barnard, the chairman-elect, served nearly sixteen years in the state legislature prior to his appointment to the Parole Board. Among his many legislative committee appointments, Mr. Barnard served six years as Chairman of the State Institutions and Property Committee.

Brian Owens, vice chairman-elect, began his career as a parole officer in Georgia. He joined the Department of Corrections in 1999 and was later appointed to Assistant Commissioner prior to becoming the Commissioner.

Jacqueline Bunn, Esq., is a former Assistant Attorney General for the Georgia Department of Law and former Executive Director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. She was appointed to the Board in 2016, completing an unexpired term, and reappointed to a full term in December of 2016. 

More information regarding the individual Board Members is available at www.pap.georgia.gov.

For more information on the State Board of Pardons and Paroles, visit www.pap.georgia.gov or contact Steve Hayes, Director of Communications at [email protected] or 404-657-9450.