Two New State Parole Board Members Approved by State Senate

HARRISBURG, Pa., Dec. 10, 2015 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Pennsylvania State Senate confirmed Judge Lydia Y. Kirkland of Philadelphia County and Leo L. Dunn, Esquire, of Dauphin County as Board Members for the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole on December 9. Judge Kirkland and Mr. Dunn were nominated by Governor Tom Wolf.

"The Board is looking forward to working with our newest members," said Board Chairman Michael L. Green. "Judge Kirkland brings a unique perspective with her judicial background and her extensive work she has done throughout the legal community in Philadelphia.

"Mr. Dunn's existing knowledge of the Board's procedures and paroling process obtained from his previous position will enable him to step right in and begin his new responsibilities," Green added.

For more information on state parole, visit the Board website at www.pbpp.pa.gov.

Biographies:

Honorable Lydia Y. Kirkland, Municipal Court, First Judicial District of Pennsylvania

Judge Lydia Y. Kirkland received both her Bachelor of Science and Juris Doctorate Degrees from Howard University in 1974 and 1977. Elected to the Philadelphia Municipal Court in 1985, Judge Kirkland has actively served on the bench for nearly 30 years and is currently a Senior Judge for the court. During her tenure on the bench, she has been elected Secretary of the Board of Judges and appointed Supervising Judge for the Criminal Division. In 2009, at the request of both the Office of the Philadelphia District Attorney and the Defenders Association of Philadelphia, Judge Kirkland was selected to be the Supervising Judge of a pilot alternative/treatment court named after a safe house for woman in Philadelphia. The purpose of the alternative court is to provide sexual abuse, drug addiction and mental health counseling and other needed services in lieu of incarceration for female prostitutes. Prior to her election to Municipal Court, she was an associate in the law office of the late City Councilwoman-at-Large Augusta A. Clark, Esquire and a solo practitioner from 1980-1985. One of Judge Kirkland's most significant accomplishments is co-founding the National Bar Association Women Lawyer's Division-Philadelphia Chapter in 1981. This chapter, which now numbers over 300 lawyers and jurists, remains focused on breaking down the barriers confronting women of color in the legal profession. Judge Kirkland is a proponent of continuing judicial education and eliminating racial, gender and ethnic biases.

Leo L. Dunn, Esquire

Mr. Dunn received a J.D. cum laude from Widener University School of Law Harrisburg in 2007 and three Bachelor of Science degrees from Penn State University in 1987. Mr. Dunn had a solo law practice and was an Adjunct Professor of Law at Widener University. Mr. Dunn has served the citizens of the Commonwealth for over 26 years for two state agencies. He was appointed Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs for the Board of Probation and Parole in 2012 after working nine years as an assistant director. Prior to working for the Board, Mr. Dunn spent 15 years with the Department of Agriculture serving in various roles. He was instrumental in the original development of the PA Preferred Program. He has served as a member of the Juvenile Act Advisory Committee, the Homeless Program Coordination Committee, the Mental Health Justice Advisory Committee at the Commission for Crime and Delinquency, and as chair of the GLBT Rights Committee and as a Council Member for the Solo and Small Firm Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He currently serves as the Vice Chair of the Pennsylvania Bar Association's Corrections System Committee. Mr. Dunn is a northern Pennsylvania native. Mr. Dunn was confirmed by the Senate as a Board Member on December 9, 2015.

MEDIA CONTACT: Laura Treaster, 717.231.4411

SOURCE Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole