* As you are well aware, Gov. Pritzker has been taking massive heat from Republicans and even some Democrats and the news media over his appointments to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board and what that PRB has done about prisoner releases. But he seems undeterred. From an appointments press release…

Carmen Terrones will serve as a Member of the Prisoner Review Board. Terrones is currently an Independent Consultant at Connecting Communities where she works to increase the potential of underserved communities by fostering empowerment and exposure to restorative justice principles and practices. Prior to this, Terrones served as a Senior Associate at Haywood Burns Institute in California, working primarily with their Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative Portfolio. Her work for the justice system began in Illinois as Terrones worked for both and the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice and the Cook County Juvenile Probation Department in several different capacities. Terrones serves her community as a board member for Restorative Justice Hubs, Corazón Community Services, Centrally Human, TecHive, the Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice- Adler University, and The Annie E. Casey Foundation Applied Leadership Network. She began her formal education in the field at Western Illinois University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Law Enforcement and continued on at Walden University in Minneapolis, where she earned a master’s of psychology.

That’s quite an impressive resume, but we’ll see what the Senate does.

* And they buried this person’s McLean County Board position in the release…

Matthew Coates will serve as a Member of the Prisoner Review Board. Coates recently begun his role as the Director of Communications at Bloomington Public School District 87. In this role, he develops and maintains informational communication in support of the district’s programs. Prior to this position, he was a Restorative School Specialist at Project Oz, a Clinical Coordinator of Youth Services, and a Comprehensive Community based Crisis Counselor at the Children’s Home Association of Illinois. Coates is currently a member on several boards including: Project Oz, McLean County, Illinois Collaboration of Youth Policy Committee, and Breaking Chains Advancing Increase School of Arts. In 2021, he earned a certificate in Leadership with Mclean County Chamber of Commerce and is a graduate of Peoria County Citizen’s Leadership Academy. His robust educational experience began at Illinois Central College where he earned an associate degree in Liberal Arts & Sciences in 2008. He went on to earn his Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication at Illinois State University, graduating in 2011. Coates graduated top of his class at Bradley University, earning a master’s degree in Leadership in Nonprofit organizations.

More on Coates…

He was a restorative school specialist for Project Oz between August 2018 and February, where he served as a “social-emotional support coach” for students and faculty at Bloomington High School through Project Oz’s Youth Empowered Schools program, according to his resume.

In his roughly five-minute pitch to executive committee members, Coates referred to his time assisting neighbors while growing up in Peoria, such as shoveling snow or playing with and helping neighborhood kids.

“Since I was a child, my upbringing consisted of watching my parent help people,” Coates said. “In various different ways, we were a pretty tight-knit community in my neighborhood growing up and that’s something that’s just — ‘That apple doesn’t usually fall too far (from the tree).’”