Alabama Governor Kay Ivey announced Tuesday that State Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) will serve as the new director of the Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Paroles.

Charlie Graddick, who served as director of the bureau for just over a year, previously announced his plans to retire on November 30.

Ward chairs the Alabama Senate Judiciary Committee and has frequently been a vocal presence around criminal justice issues in the state for much of his time in elected office.

“I have committed my career in the Senate to improving our criminal justice system in Alabama, and I look forward to working with Governor Ivey going forward in this effort,” remarked Ward in a release on Tuesday, adding that he was “honored” by the appointment.

“Cam Ward has spent his career as an attorney and public servant dedicated to Alabama’s criminal justice system,” noted Ivey on Tuesday.

Currently serving his third term in the Alabama Senate after first being elected in 2010, Ward is also a practicing attorney. His district encompasses parts of Shelby, Bibb and Chilton Counties. Before serving in the Senate, he served two terms in the Alabama House of Representatives.

Ward unsuccessfully attempted to primary incumbent Justice Greg Shaw during the 2020 election cycle.

Ivey announced the appointment will be effective December 7, 2020, a date by which Ward will have to resign his Senate seat.

Before entering public office, Ward worked in the offices of the Alabama secretary of state and served as a deputy attorney general for Alabama. He has an undergraduate degree from Troy University and a law degree from Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.

“I’m confident that his background and experience will position him to closely follow the letter of the law while providing individuals every opportunity possible to rebuild their lives post incarceration,” Ivey said of her nominee.

Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: [email protected] or on Twitter @HenryThornton95.