Gov. Perry Designates Owens as Presiding Officer of Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry today designated Rissie Owens of Huntsville as presiding officer of the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles. The board makes parole decisions for Texas prison inmates, determines conditions for parole and mandatory supervision, and recommends the resolution of clemency matters to the governor.

Owens, who has served on the board since 1997, is a licensed social worker and a licensed chemical dependency counselor. She is a member of the Southern States Correctional Association, the Texas Correctional Association and the National Association of Social Workers. Owens serves on the board of the Montgomery/Walker County Council on Drug and Alcohol Abuse and the United Way of Walker County. She has experience as a probation officer with the Galveston County Adult Probation Department, as a social worker with the University of Texas Medical Branch and as a case manager with the Mental Health Mental Retardation Authority of Brazos Valley.

Owens earned a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Sam Houston State University and a master’s degree in behavioral science from the University of Houston at Clear Lake.