Commissioner of Probation for Massachusetts Edward J. Dolan
Chief Justice of the Trial Court Robert A. Mulligan and Court
Administrator Harry Spence today announced they have selected
Edward J. Dolan to serve as the next commissioner of probation for
Massachusetts. Dolan currently serves as the commissioner of the
Massachusetts Department of Youth Services where he has held roles
of increasing responsibility since 1997. He previously served four
years as the executive director of the state Parole Board. He will
begin a five-year term of office on June 10, 2013.
"The MBA applauds the court's selection of Dolan to lead the
probation department," MBA Chief Operating Officer and Chief Legal
Counsel Martin W. Healy said. "Recent court reform legislation --
creating the position of professionally-trained Court Administrator
Harry Spence -- has demonstrated true vision and leadership in
moving the court forward on integral court functions like
probation, which affects the lives of the commonwealth's
citizens."
The probation commissioner heads the Massachusetts Probation
Service and the Office of Community Corrections, which have 1,800
staff in more than 100 locations across the state. In conjunction
with local, state and federal law enforcement and human services
agencies, probation helps to keep communities safe through
monitoring, rehabilitative services and the supervision of
offenders and litigants. The search was conducted by the
nationally-recognized firm of Isaacson Miller in concert with a
committee of Massachusetts criminal justice and court
leaders.
Dolan joined the DYS as the director of classification in 1997 and
was named deputy commissioner in 1998. Previously, he had worked
for Massachusetts Half Way Houses Inc., as chief operating officer
and at the Mass. Department of Mental Health as a forensic manager.
He joined the Massachusetts Parole Board in 1985 as the director of
Research, Planning and Systems Development and in 1990 was
appointed executive director, a position he held until 1994. In
1979, he joined the staff of Trial Court Chief Administrative Judge
Arthur Mason as a court planner and served in that capacity until
he began his work at the Parole Board.
Dolan has a master's degree in public administration from Syracuse
University and a bachelor's degree in government from UMass
Amherst. He is a certified trainer in the area of risk/need
assessment and has provided consulting services in areas including
organizational and program development, parole decision making and
information systems. A resident of Peabody, he regularly speaks at
national conferences on criminal justice issues.