Gov. Brian Kemp has appointed Robert Markley as a member of the State Board of Pardons and Paroles.
Markley is the former sheriff of Morgan County, where he served in the position for 24 years.
“I am humbled at the opportunity to serve the citizens of Georgia as a member of the parole board. Providing public safety has always driven me as a law enforcement officer,” Markley said. “I will bring that same dedication to making important executive clemency decisions regarding eligible individuals.”
Markley’s 35-year law enforcement career began in 1990 as a jailer at the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office. In 1991, Markley graduated from the 97th class of the Northeast Georgia Police Academy.
He served as a patrol officer and then investigator before being elected sheriff in 2000.
David Herring is the chair of the Georgia Parole Board.
“This is an excellent appointment to the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. As a result, the five-member board will continue to make scientific, data-driven, informed parole decisions in the interest of public safety,” Herring said.
Markley is the second Georgia sheriff in the board’s history to be appointed as a member.
Last March, Gov. Kemp appointed former Glynn County Sheriff Wayne Bennett to the Georgia Parole Board. Markley replaces Terry Barnard, whose term ended Dec. 31, 2024.
Georgia’s Parole Board members are appointed by the governor to seven-year staggered terms, subject to confirmation by the State Senate. The parole board is authorized to grant paroles, pardons, commutations, and reprieves and is the only entity in the state with the constitutional authority to commute a death sentence.
The board members are Markley, Herring, Vice Chair Meg Heap, and members Joyette Holmes and Wayne Bennett.