FROM STAFF REPORTS

Alabama state Sen. Cam Ward, R-Alabaster, has been appointed to the Council of State Governments Justice Center’s board of directors.

Ward joins a bipartisan group of 18 other legislative leaders, court officials, law enforcement executives and members of several governors’ cabinets from corrections and health and human services agencies, to serve on the CSG Justice Center’s board. Together, they guide the center’s projects, including the National Reentry Resource Center, the Justice Reinvestment Initiative and forthcoming initiatives in mental health and reentry and employment.

State officials across the country have used the findings and technical assistance provided through the CSG Justice Center to develop legislative initiatives. Congress has also worked closely with leaders of the board, drawing on recommendations from the CSG Justice Center to shape national policy.

“We are thrilled that Sen. Ward has been appointed to our board,” said Michael Thompson, director of the CSG Justice Center. “He has consistently demonstrated leadership on public safety issues in Alabama, and his experience in the legislature is extremely valuable to our data-driven policy approach.”

Ward started his career as a lawyer who served the Alabama state bar on numerous committees, before being appointed Alabama deputy attorney general.

Later, he worked as the assistant secretary of state dealing in election laws and corporate filings. In 2000, he was selected for a prestigious Marshall Memorial Fellowship in Europe. Shortly after that, he was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives where he served two terms.

In 2010, he was elected to the state Senate, where he has sponsored stronger ethic laws and is also chairman of the Judiciary Committee.