Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction Parole Board Members
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Current parole board members include:
Cynthia B. Mausser
Chair
Ms. Mausser was appointed as Chair of the Parole Board in
April 2006. She
began her career with the Department of Rehabilitation and
Correction in February 1994 as a Parole Board Hearing
Officer and was promoted to Chief Hearing Officer in August
2000. She was
then appointed to the Parole Board in December 2001.
She served as Acting Chair from October 2005 until
April 2006. Previously, she worked as an Assistant State
Public Defender for the Ohio Public Defender Commission
representing inmates at Technical Parole Revocation
Hearings. Ms.
Mausser was admitted into the Ohio Bar in November 1991 and
has a Bachelors and a Juris Doctorate Degree.
Kathleen Kovach
Member
Mrs. Kovach was appointed to the Parole Board in January
2003, as the Victim’s Representative. Mrs. Kovach comes
to the Parole Board with 13 years of experience in crime
victim services.
She was employed for 11 years with the Victim
Assistance Program in Summit County, serving three years
as Assistant Director.
In addition, Mrs. Kovach spent two years as the
Director of Victim Services for the Summit County
Prosecutor’s Office.
She has a Bachelors and a Masters Degree.
Ellen Venters
Member
Ms. Venters was appointed to the Ohio Parole Board in August 2004. Ms. Venters began her employment with the Department Of Rehabilitation and Correction in August 2000 as the Superintendent of Special Services with the Division of Parole and Community Services. She was formerly Executive Director of an alcohol and drug treatment facility for 5 years and has an additional 18 years of work experience in community corrections. Ms. Venters has a Bachelors and a Juris Doctorate Degree.
R.F. Rauschenberg
Member
Mr. Rauschenberg was appointed to the Parole Board in January 2006. He was formerly a Budget Analyst for the Ohio Legislative Budget Office from 1986 to 1992 and the Research Coordinator for the Ohio Criminal Sentencing Commission from 1992 to 2002. Most recently, Mr. Rauschenberg served as the Program Administrator for the Ohio Department of Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services where he focused on linking the criminal justice and addiction services systems, particularly for prisoners returning to the community. Mr. Rauschenberg has a Bachelors and Masters Degree.
Trayce Thalheimer
Member
Ms. Thalheimer was appointed to the Parole Board in
August 2009.
She began employment with the Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction as a Parole Officer in
1988, transferring to the Parole Board as Parole Officer
in 1996. She
was promoted to Parole Board Hearing Officer in 1998 and
then to Chief Hearing Officer in 2002.
Most recently, Ms. Thalheimer served as the
Regional Administrator in the Cincinnati Region of the
Adult Parole Authority.
Ms. Thalheimer has over 20 years in public
service including three years as a Police Officer prior
to joining DRC.
Ms. Thalheimer has a Bachelors Degree.
Rich Cholar, Jr.
Member
Mr. Cholar was appointed to the Parole Board in March
2012. Most recently, from 2005 through 2012, he
was a Senior Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal
Justice Section and served as the supervising attorney
for the Corrections Litigation Unit. Prior to his
service with the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, he
assisted in creating a juvenile parole board for the
Ohio Department of Youth Services (DYS) and then served
as a DYS parole board member from 1997 through 2005.
In addition, he served as Assistant Legal Counsel for
DYS from 1995 through 1997. Prior to his service
with the state, he was in private practice. Mr.
Cholar was admitted into the Ohio Bar in 1992 and he is
also admitted in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth
Circuit as well as in the U.S. District Court for the
Northern and Southern Districts of Ohio. He has a
Bachelors and Juris Doctorate Degree.
Marc Houk
Member
Mr. Houk was appointed to the Parole Board in July 2012.
He began employment with the Ohio Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction as a Correction Officer in
1987 and earned his way through the ranks holding
various positions with distinction. Mr. Houk served as
Warden for over 10 years at four facilities to include
London Correctional Institution, Southeastern
Correctional Institution, and Ohio State Penitentiary.
Most recently, Mr. Houk served as Warden at Lorain
Correctional Institution.
Mr. Houk has a Bachelors Degree.
Andre Imbrogno
Member
Mr. Imbrogno was appointed to the Parole Board in July
2012. Most recently, from 2010 through 2012, he
served as Staff Counsel for the Ohio Department of
Rehabilitation and Correction. Prior to serving as
Department Staff Counsel, Mr. Imbrogno worked as a
legislative liaison and policy analyst for the Ohio
Judicial Conference. Previously, he was employed
as an attorney with the Ohio Legislative Service
Commission. Mr. Imbrogno began his legal career as
a judicial law clerk with the Supreme Court of Ohio.
He is licensed to practice law in the State of Ohio and
before the United States District Court for the Southern
District of Ohio. Mr. Imbrogno has a Bachelors and
a Juris Doctorate degree.
Ron Nelson, Jr.
Member
Mr. Nelson was appointed to the Parole Board in July
2012. He is
a corrections professional, who began his career with
the Department of Rehabilitation and Correction as a
Correction Officer in 1984.
From there, Mr. Nelson served in a number of
corrections leadership positions throughout the agency
including, Bureau Chief, Assistant Bureau Chief, Deputy
Warden and Warden’s Assistant.
Most recently, Mr. Nelson served as a Program
Administrator in the Bureau of Classification and
Reception.
Mr. Nelson has held positions at several DRC
institutions during his career. Mr. Nelson has a
Bachelors degree.
Michael H. Jackson
Member
Michael H. Jackson has over 23 years in rehabilitation and correction experience. In 1991 prior to coming to the State of Ohio, Michael was employed as chemical dependency counselor at Talbert House, Inc. While employed with Talbert House, Michael earned his certification in chemical dependency counseling (CCDC I). In 1994, Michael joined the Adult Parole Authority as a Parole Officer in the State of Ohio and was later promoted to a Parole Unit Supervisor in the Akron Region of the Ohio Adult Parole Authority. In 2003 Michael was promoted to a Deputy Superintendent for the Ohio Adult Parole Authority. In 2009 Michael became the Regional Administrator for the Columbus Region of the Adult Parole Authority. In 2010 he was promoted to the position of Superintendent of the Adult Parole Authority. In 2012 Michael was appointed as a member of the Ohio Parole Board. Michael has a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Cincinnati majoring in Psychology.
Alicia Handwerk
Member
Ms. Handwerk was appointed to the Parole Board in January 2013. She began her employment with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction in the Interstate Compact section. After a number of years with the Bureau of Adult Detention, she began working in the Bureau of Community Sanctions in the halfway house section. Most recently, Ms. Handwerk was Chief of the Bureau of Community Sanctions, overseeing the administration of Community Based Correctional Facilities, Community Correction Act programs, halfway houses, Community Residential Centers, Permanent Supportive Housing, Residential Placement and the Transitional Control Program. She has a Bachelor’s and a Juris Doctorate degree.
Former Parole Board Members Serving Between 1996 and 2012
| Name | Start Date | End Date |
| Bedra, Slayman "Jim" | 03/1996 | 09/2009 |
| Bogan, Bobby | 08/2008 | 06/2012 |
| Brown, Victor | 08/1998 | 01/2000 |
| Capots, Ray | 09/1978 | 12/2002 |
| Collins-Taylor, Cathy | 05/2010 | 06/2012 |
| Croft, Gary | 10/2002 | 10/2005 |
| Davis, Peter | 09/2001 | 06/2006 |
| Denton, Jay | 06/1993 | 08/2001 |
| Echols, Walter | 04/1994 | 12/1997 |
| Ghee, Margarette | 05/1983 | 03/2002 |
| Gooch, H. Richard | 03/1990 | 03/1996 |
| Grinner, Henry | 01/1995 | 07/2002 |
| Hudson, William | 10/1988 | 12/2002 |
| Jones, Gloria | 03/1990 | 07/2002 |
| Karl, Olivia | 02/2002 | 06/2004 |
| Mack, Sandra | 01/1997 | 08/2009 |
| Martinez, Cheryl | 10/2005 | 12/2005 |
| Maszczynski, Robert | 10/2002 | 04/2011 |
| Mathews, Larry | 01/1995 | 12/2001 |
| Milligan, Patrick | 06/1998 | 06/2002 |
| Mitchell, Betty | 03/2000 | 02/2007 |
| Torres, Jose | 05/2010 | 06/2012 |
| Upper, Constance | 08/1994 | 11/2001 |