Everything you need to know about PA's Pardon Process

Shelley Watson assumed the role of Secretary of the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons in January 2023. Secretary Watson is a long-time Commonwealth employee bringing decades of relevant experience to the role, gained through positions at the PA Department of Corrections, the PA Parole Board, and the PA State Police. Since 2013, Secretary Watson has dedicated her career to second chances, playing an integral role in the continued growth and expansion of the Commonwealth’s clemency process, first in partner agencies and now at the Board of Pardons.

Kelly M. Sekula was appointed Executive Deputy General Counsel for Public Safety in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel in January 2023. Ms. Sekula’s practice focuses on public safety and criminal justice matters on behalf of the Governor’s Office and in conjunction with various executive branch and independent Commonwealth agencies.

Prior to this appointment, Ms. Sekula served as a Senior Deputy Attorney General in the Criminal Prosecutions Section of the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General investigating and prosecuting a wide spectrum of crimes ranging from misdemeanors to complex felonies and homicides, including cold-case homicides. Ms. Sekula also assisted and advised the Attorney General related to the Board of Pardons and was a member of the Conviction Integrity Section. Prior to her work in the Criminal Prosecutions Section, Ms. Sekula was a member of the Appeals & Legal Services Section where she represented the Commonwealth at all levels of appeals and supervised the Statewide Investigating Grand Jury. Ms. Sekula was also appointed as the Administrative Law Judge for firearms appeals and criminal history record information challenges.

Prior to her appointment at the Office of Attorney General, Ms. Sekula was an Assistant District Attorney in the Lancaster County District Attorney’s Office. In that capacity, she served as Chief of the Violent Crimes and Homicides Unit where she supervised and coordinated strategy and personnel for all homicides, suspicious deaths and violent criminal offenses as well as prosecuted cases. Ms. Sekula also supervised the Investigating Grand Jury and oversaw the County-wide Major Crimes Unit Forensic Team.

Ms. Sekula received her bachelor of arts degree from Juniata College in 1996 and her juris doctorate from Widener University School of Law in 1999.

Anne Gingrich Cornick was appointed Deputy General Counsel for the Pennsylvania Governors Office of General Counsel (OGC) in March 2015. Her chief responsibilities encompass all criminal legal issues at OGC and she serves as the primary contact for all law enforcement agencies. Anne is also Chair of the Criminal Justice Practice Group.

Anne came to OGC after many years as a criminal defense attorney in both state and Federal jurisdictions. She has represented individuals, including a large indigent client base, at every level of the criminal justice system, and her extensive trial experience has been comprised of charges ranging from DUIs, drug offenses, assaults, and homicides. She has also served as counsel in civil litigation cases involving family law, custody law, wills and estates, professional licensure law, and evolving civil proceedings concerning SORNA legislation. Anne has a strong background in direct and collateral appellate work, and served as the Chief Deputy Public Defender of the Appellate Division in Dauphin County, where she first began her legal career.

Anne has served as an adjunct professor in constitutional and criminal law at Central Penn College, an instructor at the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University, and a guest lecturer at the Pennsylvania State Police Academy. She received her J.D. from The University of Texas School of Law where she was a Presidential Scholarship in Law Recipient and a Texas Law Fellow. Prior to attending law school she served as a Peace Corps Volunteer leading community health programs in Luapula Province, Zambia. She holds a B.A. from Boston University College Honors Program, summa cum laude. Anne lives in the city of Harrisburg with her husband, Sean, and their daughter.