Commissioners


Barbara Brown	Mrs. Barbara Brown was appointed to the Commission as the crime victim representative to serve a four-year term in November 1996, by Governor Fob James. She was appointed to a second term on February 13, 2001, by Governor Don Siegelman, and subsequently, in 2004 and 2009 by Governor Bob Riley. Mrs. Brown earned a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Miles College, and a Masters of Science in Guidance and Counseling from Troy State University. She also attended Tuskegee Institute, where she majored in Biology. Mrs. Brown has held various professional positions such as Social Worker, Counselor, and Administrator in Cleveland Ohio. She also served as a Social Worker ad Program Director for the Department of Pensions and Security and the Center for Mental Health/Mental Retardation respectively in Selma, Alabama. Mrs. Brown is affiliated with several civic and professional organizations, and is the recipient of many honors as a result of her service to the community. Mrs. Brown is the mother of two murdered sons, Brandon, age 19 and Horace Jr., age 28. Although no arrests have been made in either of her sons’ brutal murders, she does not allow herself to rest from seeing that the murderers are brought to justice. Effective April 3, 2001, Mrs. Brown and others saw the passage of a Resolution designating that April 4, 2001, be declared as National Anti-Murder Awareness Day, and The Purple Ribbon as the National Symbol Against Violence. Mrs. Brown’s attitude of “we can all do something, and should never stop trying to make a difference for crime victims,” makes her an outstanding role model for everyone. Barbara Brown and her husband, Horace, have one daughter, a son-in-law, and three grandsons, and reside in Selma, Alabama.
Sheriff Jay Jones	Sheriff Jay Jones was appointed to the Commission in October of 2007 by Governor Bob Riley, to serve a four-year term as the law enforcement representative. He was first elected Sheriff of Lee County in 1998, and was subsequently re-elected in 2002 and 2006. He began his thirty-two years of service with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office as a jail officer and communications operator. He has held positions of increasing responsibility and progressed from patrol deputy, patrol supervisor, investigator, and chief investigator. Sheriff Jones holds a Bachelor of Science in Law Enforcement from Auburn University and a Master’s of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Troy State University. He has also undertaken graduate level studies at Northwestern University and University of Virginia. Sheriff Jones was an honors graduate of the Alabama Police Academy, and attended the Federal Bureau of Investigation National Academy’s 146th Session in 1986. Sheriff Jones is active in several civic and community organizations. He is an adjunct instructor and teaches Criminal Justice courses for Auburn University and Southern Union Community College. He and his wife, Judy, who reside in Auburn, are the parents of four and proud grandparents of three.
Miriam Shehane	Miriam Shehane was appointed to the original Commission in 1984 for a four-year term by Governor George Wallace and was re-appointed by Governor Guy Hunt in 1988. She served until 1992 and was re-appointed in July 1993 by Governor Jim Folsom, July 20, 1998 by Governor Fob James, July 2001 by Gov. Siegelman. She is a former banker and has worked as the Victim Service Officer in the District Attorney's Office in Montgomery and as the Supervisor of the Attorney General's Office of Victim Assistance. Mrs. Shehane's dedication to the victims' movement in Alabama has been acknowledged throughout the nation where she has been asked to speak at national conferences on victims' issues. Mrs. Shehane was one of the founding members of VOCAL, Victims of Crime and Leniency, and has served on the Board since its inception in 1982. She found out about trauma of victimization first hand when her 21 year old daughter Quenette, was murdered in 1976 while enrolled at Birmingham Southern. Miriam and her husband Edward have two children and seven grandchildren and reside in Clio, Alabama.