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A longtime member of the Nebraska Board of Parole will retire next month, Gov. Jim Pillen announced Wednesday. Rosalyn Cotton, the current chairwoman of the board, will step down June 6.
Rosalyn Cotton, who has served on the Board of Parole since 2005, including as chairwoman in 2015 and 2020, will retire June 6. Cotton, of Omaha, was appointed in 2005 to the independent agency that reviews the status of convicted offenders by former Gov. Dave Heineman.
She would go on to become chairwoman in 2015 after the retirement of Esther Casmer following her testimony before a special legislative committee investigating the early release of dozens of inmates. Cotton was later reappointed as chairwoman in 2020 by then-Gov. Pete Ricketts, but soon came under scrutiny following an investigation by the Flatwater Free Press , which found she and others on the board were missing meetings.
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Ultimately a state law passed in 2024 said parole board members who missed a dozen parole hearing days per year would be removed from their paid positions. Cotton's salary in 2023 was $94,642. Her current term on the five-member board was set to expire next year.
"Chairperson Cotton served under three governors in a highly challenging and sometimes difficult role," Pillen said in a statement. Before the Board of Parole, Cotton was an adjunct instructor of criminal justice at Bellevue University, as well as an instructor at Hamilton College in Omaha and Northeast Community College in Norfolk. Prior to teaching, Cotton served in various roles for the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services between 1983 and 2002, including as a corrections corporal and senior parole officer.
Cotton is a graduate of Wayne State College, where she holds a degree in sociology, and the University of Nebraska at Omaha, where she earned a master's degree in urban studies and criminal justice. Pillen called Cotton "a strong collaborator with the Department of Corrections" and a solid leader on the board. "I wish Ros the very best in her future endeavors and I thank her for her dedication to public service," the governor added.
Reach the writer at 402-473-7120 or [email protected] . On Bluesky @chrisdunker.
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