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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release June 24, 1999

        PRESIDENT CLINTON NAMES MICHAEL GAINES, TIMOTHY E. JONES, 
              MARIE F. RAGGHIANTI, AND JOHN R. SIMPSON TO
                  THE UNITED STATES PAROLE COMMISSION

The President today announced his intent to nominate Michael Gaines, Timothy E. Jones, Marie F. Ragghianti, and John R. Simpson as Members of the United States Parole Commission.

Mr. Michael Gaines, of Bethesda, Maryland, has served on the U.S. Parole Commission since 1994, first as a Commissioner, and since 1997 as its Chairman. Prior to that, he was the Chairman of the Arkansas State Board of Parole and Community Rehabilitation from 1989 to 1994. He served as the Executive Director of the State Supreme Court Committee on Professional Conduct from 1986 to 1989 and as the Criminal Justice Liaison and as the Pardon and Extradition Counsel to the Governor from 1983 to 1986. From 1978 to 1983, Mr. Gaines was a Parole Hearing Examiner for the Arkansas Department of Correction, and before 1978, was in the private practice of law. Mr. Gaines holds B.A. and J.D. degrees from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

Ms. Marie F. Ragghianti, of Chevy Chase, Maryland, has been Chief of Staff to the U.S. Parole Commission since 1997. Prior to her service to the Commission, Ms. Ragghianti served as an independent criminal justice consultant to various clients, including drug abuse research organizations and several state agencies, including the Georgia Board of Parole. In addition, she served as the chairwoman of the Tennessee Board of Pardons and Paroles during the 1970's. Ms. Ragghianti holds a B.S. degree in English Literature and Psychology and an M.S. in Management of Human Services from Vanderbilt University, a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, and she is currently working on her Ph.D. in Criminology at the University of Maryland.

Mr. Timothy E. Jones, of Lithonia, Georgia, is the Director of the Georgia Governor's Office of Highway Safety and is a former member of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles, as well as the Georgia Commission on Family Violence and the Georgia Crime Victim Compensation Board. Mr. Jones began his career with the Board of Pardons and Paroles as a Parole/Probation Officer and achieved several promotions, including one which made him Georgia's first black Parole Review Officer in 1977. He was appointed to the Board of Pardons and Paroles by Governor Joe Frank Harris in 1990, and has held his current position since being appointed by Governor Zell Miller in 1997. Mr. Jones is a Vietnam Veteran and a recipient of the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry. He holds B.A. and M.ED.. degrees from Georgia State University.

Mr. John R. Simpson, of Bowie, Maryland, has served as a member of the U.S. Parole Commission since 1992. Prior to his service on the Board, Mr. Simpson had a distinguished career with the United States Secret Service from 1962-1992, serving as its Director from 1981-1992. During his career with the Secret Service, Mr. Simpson was elected President of the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) and served a four-year term. He was the first American to hold that position. Mr. Simpson is a veteran of the United States Army and is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, the American Society for Industrial Security, the National Sheriffs Association, the National Association of Public Administrators, and the National War College Alumni Association. He holds a B.C. degree from Loyola College in Montreal and a J.D. from the New England School of Law.

The Parole Commission has the sole authority to grant, modify, or revoke paroles of eligible prisoners serving sentences of more than one year, including military prisoners. It is responsible for the supervision of parolees and prisoners released upon the expiration of their sentences with allowances for statutory good time, and the determination of supervisory conditions and terms. The Parole Commission consists of five Members appointed by the President with the advice and consent of the Senate for six year terms. Under recent law, the U.S. Parole Commission has assumed the duties of the District of Columbia Board of Parole.

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