Cobb Countys’ own Joyette Holmes has been selected to serve as Chair of the Georgia Board of Pardons and Paroles. The announcement was made during the board’s monthly operational meeting held earlier this month on the campus of Valdosta State University.
Holmes was appointed to the Parole Board in January 2024 by Governor Brian Kemp. She began her legal career as a defense attorney and went on to make history in Cobb County, where she became the first African American and the first woman to serve as both Chief Magistrate Judge and District Attorney.
Holmes, a Valdosta native, becomes only the second African American woman to lead the board. The first, Mamie B. Reese, served as Chair from July 1, 1976, to October 1, 1977. Wayne Bennett was chosen to serve as Vice Chair…