Press Release: Gov. Evers Announces Additional Appointments to Commutation Advisory Board  

State of Wisconsin sent this bulletin at 06/19/2026 12:00 PM CDT
Office of Governor Tony Evers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 19, 2026
Contact: GovPress@wisconsin.gov 
 
Gov. Evers Announces Additional Appointments to Commutation Advisory Board  
Governor’s eight new appointees bring extensive experience in law enforcement, criminal law, and victim advocacy to commutations review
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today announced eight new appointments to the Commutation Advisory Board. Gov. Evers, in April, signed two executive orders, restoring the commutations process in Wisconsin for the first time since former Gov. Tommy Thompson was governor. The two executive orders continue building upon the Evers Administration’s efforts to reform Wisconsin’s criminal justice system in the absence of any real, meaningful solutions or efforts by the Wisconsin State Legislature. More information about executive clemency powers and their use by past governors is available in a memo prepared by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau.   

In 2019, Gov. Evers also reinstated Wisconsin’s pardon process after taking office and has since issued a record-breaking over 2,000 pardons—more than any governor in modern Wisconsin state history. A pardon restores certain civil rights and offers forgiveness, and individuals are currently only eligible to receive a pardon from Gov. Evers only after they have completed their entire sentence and the individual has been “off paper” for at least five years. Individuals are also not eligible for a pardon if they are a registered sex offender or have any pending criminal cases or charges in any jurisdiction.  

In contrast, a commutation may reduce a sentence an individual is currently serving. According to Executive Order #287, the granting of commutations “promotes rehabilitation by providing a system that rewards the positive efforts of incarcerated individuals who demonstrate personal growth and a commitment to change with the possibility of a second chance to contribute to society, become productive members of their communities, make amends, and improve their lives and those of the people around them.” Additionally, the order notes, “the granting of commutations can also encourage incarcerated individuals to be accountable, take responsibility, make amends, and seek forgiveness for their actions that have harmed other individuals and the community.” Under Gov. Evers’ criteria for adult offenders, individuals will not be eligible for a commutation for a conviction of any of the following crimes:  
  • Sexual assault   
  • Physical abuse of a child   
  • Sexual exploitation of a child   
  • Trafficking of a child   
  • Incest  
  • Soliciting a child for prostitution

Gov. Evers announced the following appointments to the Commutations Advisory Board, which is set to have its first meeting later this summer: 

  • Judge Maryann Sumi 
    • Judge Sumi served on the Dane County Circuit Court for over 15 years before resigning in 2014. During her tenure, she served as presiding judge, served as a member of the statewide Juvenile Benchbook Committee, and provided training to other judges across the state on child welfare case management. Judge Sumi is also the current Chair of the Wisconsin Ethics Commission and has a law practice focused on mediation and arbitration.  
  • Attorney David Meany 
    • Meany was appointed by former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker as Ashland County District Attorney in 2019, where he served until stepping down in 2023. Meany previously served as an administrator for the Division of Legal Services at the Wisconsin Department of Justice and as chief legal counsel at the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection.
  • Jerome Dillard 
    • Dillard is the former executive director and co-founder of EXPO of Wisconsin (EX-Incarcerated People Organizing), a statewide organization supporting individuals affected by incarceration. He previously served time in Wisconsin and federal prisons for non-violent felonies and has worked in reentry programming at JustDane, formerly known as Madison-area Urban Ministry, the Wisconsin Resource Center, and the Dane County Jail. Dillard has served on the Wisconsin Council on Offender Reentry since 2015. 
  • Noble Wray  
    • Wray served with the Madison Police Department for almost 28 years, including as chief of police from 2004 to 2013. He led the U.S. Department of Justice’s Policing Practices and Accountability Initiative and has provided training on fair and impartial policing for law enforcement agencies around the world. Wray served as a member of Gov. Evers’ Pardon Advisory Board from 2019 to 2025. 
  • Kathy Byrne Stilling 
    • Stilling served as an assistant state public defender for eight years and spent an additional almost 30 years in criminal defense private practice, representing individuals in state and federal criminal and juvenile cases. Stilling served as Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge from 2010 to 2011.  
  • Jonathan Scharrer 
    • Sharrer is a clinical professor at the University of Wisconsin (UW) Law School and director of the Restorative Justice Project, where he facilitates victim-initiated restorative justice dialogues in high-level felonies, predominantly homicide and sexual harm cases. He teaches restorative justice philosophy and practice, with a focus on victims’ rights, offense dynamics, and trauma. Scharrer served on the National Association of Community and Restorative Justice Advisory Council from 2017 to 2024.  
  • Geri Segal  
    • Segal spent 28 years at the Family Support Center, a nonprofit agency that provides counseling and advocacy services to survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault in the Chippewa Valley. Segal most recently served as executive director of the Family Support Center until her retirement in 2026.   
  • Kat Kosmaule  
    • Kosmaule is a social worker with experience in trauma-informed care and race-equity-inclusion-belonging implementation. She is a program and policy analyst at the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families and previously worked as a child protection case manager for the Columbia County Department of Health and Human Services from 2013 to 2017.

Gov. Evers previously announced the chair and vice chair of the Commutation Advisory Board back in April, appointing his chief legal counsel, Mel Barnes, as chair of the board, and corrections veteran, Cindy O’Donnell, as vice chair of the board.  Barnes graduated from the UW Law School and joined the Office of the Governor in 2023, where she has been the governor’s close advisor and chief legal counsel. In her role as chief legal counsel, Barnes also chairs the governor’s Pardon Advisory Board. Cindy O’Donnell served as deputy secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Corrections under former Govs. Thompson, McCallum, and Doyle. She also served as a division administrator under Attorneys General Lautenschlager and Van Hollen.

Operating similarly to the governor’s Pardon Advisory Board, the Commutation Advisory Board will hold hearings to review applications and make non-binding recommendations to the governor.
 
An online version of this release is available here.
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