Our law is unique in that it requires that our three-member Commission include a victim of violent crime who has suffered serious personal injury or is a member of such victim's immediate family or member of a deceased victim's immediate family if the deceased victim died as a result of the violent crime. This provision insures that each claim is viewed through the eye of a victim and is seen as objectively as possible.

The law also provides that one member be a law enforcement officer with a minimum of 10 years experience in or with a law enforcement agency which has among its primary duties and responsibilities the investigation of violent crimes. Again, a certain perspective lends itself to the decision making process.

Dr. Holly Brown Owens is the Lead Biology Instructor for the Science Department at Wallace Community College in Selma,  Alabama. Prior to coming to Alabama, Dr. Owens was a Physical Scientist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Charleston, South Carolina. While in South Carolina, she was afforded the opportunity to travel abroad on many occasions to present her research as well as meet with past Nobel Laureates in Germany to discuss the trends of minorities in Science.

She received her Bachelors of Science in Biology from Stillman College and her Masters and Ph.D. from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University. Dr. Owens teaching interests include Anatomy and Physiology as well as Microbiology. She has assisted in designing new courses and associated learning outcomes for students. Her specific interest now focuses on increasing the retention rate of students at the community college. Dr. Owens' work in Selma and Montgomery over the past decade has allowed her to work closely with many different young people in a variety of settings. She communicates directly with them about their needs while discovering ways to be most helpful. Dr. Owens resides with her husband and three children in Montgomery, Alabama. In her free time, she enjoys working with the youth, watching a good movie, and spending time with her family.

Sheriff Jones began his law-enforcement career with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office in 1975 while a student at Auburn University. His first work assignment was in the jail as a corrections officer/communications operator and was later appointed to a road position as a sworn deputy sheriff. He experienced all aspects of the operations of the Sheriff’s Office by moving up in the ranks through the years and was eventually appointed as the Sheriff’s Office Chief Investigator in command of the Investigations Division. Sheriff Jones was first elected Lee County Sheriff in 1998 and is currently serving his fifth term.

His educational background includes a BS degree from Auburn University in 1976 and a MS degree from Troy State University in 1980. Sheriff Jones’ professional education and training includes the FBI National Academy (146th session), FBI Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (58th session), National Sheriff’s Institute (Class 00-1), Southern Law Enforcement Executive Development Seminar (1999), and the United States Secret Service Dignitary Protection Seminar (2003). His professional affiliations include service as a governor’s appointee to the Advisory Committee on Women in Criminal Justice, the Alabama Crime Victims Compensation Commission, the Alabama Local Government Records Commission and the Alabama Peace Officers Annuity and Benefit Fund board.

He currently serves as a board member for the Lee County Youth Development Center, the Bennie Adkins Foundation, the Opelika Chamber of Commerce and the Lee County Emergency Communications District. Sheriff Jones’ professional memberships include the FBI National Academy Associates, the Police Futurists International, the National Sheriff’s Association, the Alabama Sheriff’s Association, the Law Enforcement Executive Development Association, the Alabama Jail Association, the Alabama Peace Officers’ Association and the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge #21. Sheriff Jones’ civic involvement includes membership in the Auburn Rotary Club and the Bleecker Ruritan Club. Along with his public safety duties Sheriff Jones has also served as an adjunct instructor of Criminal Justice at Auburn University and Southern Union Community College in Opelika, AL.

With more than 25 years in victim advocacy, Hon. Darlene Hutchinson has had an active role passing legislation, advancing public policy, teaching at police academies, and working directly with victims of crime. Upon receiving a Presidential appointment in August 2017, Ms. Hutchinson was sworn in as the Director of the Office for Victims of Crime (OVC), the preeminent federal agency within the U.S. Department of Justice, which supports victim compensation and assistance programs nationwide. In this role she was responsible for nearly $8 billion in grant funding for essential services and innovative programs to help survivors of crime, and to enhance victims rights. Prior to joining the U.S. Department of Justice, Ms. Hutchinson volunteered for 10 years at rape crisis centers in Alabama and Texas and served for 7 years as president of a victims' support and advocacy group in Central Alabama.

Simultaneously, Ms. Hutchinson worked 25 years in publishing, including 8 years as the editor of law enforcement publications in Alabama, Washington, D.C., and Texas, and nearly 6 years as the Communications Director for the Dallas Bar Association. Ms. Hutchinson first became aware of the needs of crime victims after being kidnapped at gunpoint from a small-town post office. As a young college student, she was blindfolded and tied, but escaped on the second day and assisted in the apprehension and prosecution of the kidnapper who later served 20 years in prison. Ms. Hutchinson was inspired to help other survivors navigate the complex criminal justice system, and she became a champion for victims' rights and public safety. In 1994-95, Ms. Hutchinson was part of the small team responsible for the passage and ratification of Alabama's Victims Constitutional Amendment.

Over the years, she has accompanied hundreds of survivors and families to parole hearings and/or trials, and the policies and laws she's helped put in place will benefit thousands for years to come. In 2021, Ms. Hutchinson returned to Alabama, and in June 2022, Governor Kay Ivey appointed her as an ACVCC Commissioner. A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, Ms. Hutchinson holds a B.S. in Journalism from Troy State University.