Published: June 23, 2009 06:48 pm      

Murray native re-elected chair of state parole board

ATLANTA — By unanimous vote, the members of the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles re-elected Murray County native L. Gale Buckner to serve as chair.

Buckner was appointed in January 2005 by Gov. Sonny Perdue. She serves as one of five Parole Board members who determine which prison inmates are ready to be transitioned from incarceration back into the community.

“I am thrilled, honored and humbled to serve once again as chair of the Pardons and Paroles Board,” said Buckner. “I appreciate the trust and confidence that my fellow board members have shown in my leadership of the agency during these challenging economic times. While we are all so different and come from different backgrounds, we are equal in the decisions we make to ensure public safety for all of Georgia’s citizens.”

Buckner began her law enforcement career with the Chatsworth Police Department. She served 24 years as a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation in various positions, including assistant special agent-in-charge of the Atlanta field office for death investigations, child abuse, fraud and other criminal activities, and director of personnel for the 800-plus employee agency. Later, she served as the director of legislative and intergovernmental affairs, where she was the liaison to the General Assembly and the U.S. Congress, advocating for the passage or non-passage of legislation, as well as, appropriations oversight.

Prior to her appointment on the Parole Board, she served as the executive director of the Governor’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Council. She has served on the National Criminal Justice Association Board of Directors and Regional Advisory Council, is past president of the International Association of Women Police, and serves on the board of the Georgia International Law Enforcement Exchange.

Buckner received her bachelor’s degree from Georgia State University. She holds a master’s of public administration degree from Brenau University, and is a 1992 graduate of the 169th session of the FBI National Academy.

Board members also re-elected Robert Keller to serve as vice chair. He was appointed to the board in January 2007.

Parole board members are full-time employees of the agency, appointed by the governor to seven-year, staggered terms. They are constitutional officers who have sole discretion to vote on the release of Georgia prison inmates. Board members review and make decisions on approximately 17,000 inmate cases each year, and have Georgia’s only statutory power to commute a death sentence.