Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Board Appointments topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Senate Panel Advises and Consents to Ron McNeal for Faith-Based Seat on Madcorp Board
Summary
The committee approved Ron McNeal's nomination (nominations 54 and 91) to the Madcorp board as the faith-based representative for a four-year term beginning 07/01/2024. McNeal described long-standing faith-based prison ministry work and said the board is focusing on rehabilitation, training and opportunities for incarcerated people to build financial capital.
The Senate nominations committee voted to advise and consent to the nomination of Ron McNeal of Oxford to the board of directors for Madcorp (the record also refers to the organization with alternate renderings). The nomination materials listed a four-year term beginning 07/01/2024 and ending 06/30/2028; the committee identified the seat as representing the faith-based community.
Senator Sparks questioned whether the faith-based seat was a gubernatorial appointment and pressed the nominee on his prior involvement and his view of the organization. McNeal said he has worked with Kairos Prison Ministries International for 14 years, began at SMCI, and that he and others were scheduled to work that weekend at Marshall County Correctional Facility. He told the committee he has served on the board for about nine months (since summer 2024) and framed the organization's role as "primarily about rehabilitation and building futures," explaining he wants programs that let people leaving incarceration learn skills, obtain professional certifications and, where possible, build financial capital to support re-entry.
Sparks asked whether "build capital" meant financial capital; McNeal said it did. Sparks emphasized past work-release efforts that allowed incarcerated individuals to save money for housing and transport and urged the board to ensure any compensation formula lets participants accrue funds rather than diverting them. McNeal said the board has raised salaries for some classes and has pursued federal grants that provide professional certifications, and characterized those steps as consistent with making programming beneficial to participants.
A committee member moved to advise and consent to McNeal's nomination; the chair called for the ayes and announced the motion carried. The record includes no roll-call tally or additional conditions on the appointment in the provided transcript.
