Published: May 08, 2008 11:15 pm            

Murray native Buckner chosen parole board chairwoman

By unanimous vote, the members of the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles elected Murray County native L. Gale Buckner to serve as chairwoman effective July 1.

Buckner, a 1975 graduate of Murray County High School, was appointed in January 2005 by Gov. Sonny Perdue. She serves as one of five Parole Board members who determines which prison inmates are ready to be transitioned from incarceration back into the community. She has served as the vice chair of the Board for the past two years.

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 Georgia General Assembly and the U.S. Congress, advocating for the passage or non-passage of legislation, as well as appropriations oversight.

“I am humbled by the trust and the confidence bestowed upon me by my fellow board members in electing me as chairperson,” Buckner said. “I am certain that there is no other agency in state government that has a greater impact on public safety in Georgia than the Parole Board. We will continue on the path of being mission focused and outcome oriented, as we serve and protect the citizens of Georgia.”

Prior to her appointment on the Parole Board, Buckner 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 a 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, holds a master of public administration degree from Brenau University, and is a 1992 graduate of the 169th session of the FBI National Academy.

Board members also elected board member Robert Keller to serve as vice chairman of the Parole Board. Keller 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. Board members 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.

        

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