Governor Kay Ivey appointed Bureau of Pardons and Paroles operations director Gabrelle Simmons to the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles on Friday.
Simmons has been employed at the agency since 2004. Simmons became the director of board operations in October 2020. She began her career as a probation and parole officer at the Montgomery Field Office. In 2006, she was promoted to senior probation and parole officer at the Birmingham Field Office. She returned to Montgomery in 2009 to serve in board operations with the Final Review Unit. She was promoted to manager of the Docket Unit in 2013.
“I’m excited about my new position,” Simmons said in a statement. “I’ve worked the majority of my career in conjunction with the Board. Public safety is first and foremost to me, and I plan to look at each file on an individual basis to make an informed decision using my knowledge and experience with adult probation and parole.”
Chair Leigh Gwathney said, “On behalf of the Board, we are excited to have Gabrelle Simmons joining the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. We are grateful for the experience she brings and look forward to her addition to the Board.”
The seat on the three-member board has been vacant since June.
“Over the last three years I have had the honor of working closely with Gabrelle at the Bureau of Pardons and Paroles. Not only is she highly qualified for this appointment, she will also be hardworking and fair in her new role,” Bureau director Cam Ward said in a statement.
The board operations director position will be filled at a later date.
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