Parole Board Members

To be eligible to be appointed by the Governor for membership on the Parole Board, an individual must have at least six years of professional experience in parole, probation, social work, or related areas, including one year in a supervisory or administrative capacity, and a bachelor’s degree. Parole Board members may not hold any other office or employment, and they are not permitted to take any active part in politics, a prohibition that applies to all Parole Board employees.

Theodore W. Johnson, Chairman

Mr. Johnson is a native of Erie and now resides in Pittsburgh. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Johnson served as the Deputy Director at THE PROGRAM for Offenders, Inc., which is a nonprofit organization that specializes in community corrections and offers residential alternatives to incarceration, drug and alcohol treatment, and a wide range of support services to male and female offenders and their families in Allegheny County. In 2011, Mr. Johnson retired as Chief Probation Officer for the U.S. District Court in Western Pennsylvania. He worked in Federal Pretrial and Probation services for 23 years. Before that, he worked seven years for Allegheny County's Probation services and two years for Erie County's Probation services. During his time with the Court, Johnson merged probation and pretrial services and received the Director's Award for Leadership, a national award given to a director or manager of a federal court office, in 2009. He initiated a workforce development program designed to help people on probation find and keep jobs. Johnson was the first federal Chief to hire an ex-offender to run the reentry program. Johnson holds a Bachelor’s degree in social work from Edinboro University and a master’s in leadership from Carlow University. Johnson is a member of MADDADS, NOBLE and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. On June 15, 2016, Mr. Johnson was confirmed by the Senate. He was appointed by Governor Wolf to serve as Chairman on February 6, 2019.

Maureen Barden, Esquire

Ms. Barden has been working within various areas of the criminal justice system for over 40 years, including 21 years as a local and federal prosecutor. In 2006, she became one of the first six Department of Justice reentry coordinators in the nation, directing reentry efforts throughout the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. In 2007, she helped initiate one of the first federal reentry courts for people with serious, violent criminal histories. She also worked with judges, probation officials, government and community organizations, educational institutions, the legal community, and others to develop opportunities for reentry court participants. From 2013 to 2017, Ms. Barden worked with state and county officials on a number of other issues concerning prison reentry, including pre-release enrollment in Medicaid. As a consultant for the Pretrial Services Pilot Project of the County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania, she provided technical assistance and funds for wrap-around services to several Pennsylvania counties seeking to establish or expand pretrial services programs. Ms. Barden graduated cum laude from Columbia University School of General Studies and received her J.D. from the New York University School of Law. Ms. Barden was confirmed by the Senate on February 5, 2018.

Khadija T. Diggs, Esquire

A native of Pittsburgh, Khadija T. Diggs, Esq., received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology, with honors, from Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee, and earned her Juris Doctorate from Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C. Ms. Diggs has worked in various facets of the criminal justice system. She began her legal career with the Allegheny County Office of the Public Defender and moved to the position of Assistant City Solicitor in the City of Pittsburgh Law Department, during which time she also served as the Acting Police Legal Advisor for the City of Pittsburgh Police Department. Ms. Diggs was the Project Coordinator for the implementation phase of YouthWorks’ "BluePrint" a very successful and innovative juvenile offender reentry demonstration project in Pittsburgh with a $3 million-dollar budget funded by the Federal Department of Labor. Her legal career continued to advance as an Assistant Federal Public Defender in the Western District of Pennsylvania and then as a Deputy Public Defender in Allegheny County. Beginning in 2005, until her appointment to the Board, Ms. Diggs served as a member of the Pennsylvania Interbranch Commission for Gender, Racial and Ethnic Fairness and chaired the Criminal Justice Committee, which among other matters, has had initiatives focused on: the death penalty in Pennsylvania, overhauling the public defender system in Pennsylvania, reviewing the sentencing and re-sentencing of life without parole for juveniles, automating expungement of juvenile delinquency records, expanding “ban the box,” and student loan forgiveness for public interest attorneys. After a brief solo practice, Ms. Diggs became the Deputy Director for the Southwest Regional Office of Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. Leading up to her appointment as a Parole Board Member, Ms. Diggs was an Assistant Counsel in the Governor’s Office of General Counsel, with a focus on Corrections, Probation and Parole. After her nomination by Governor Wolf to become a Parole Board Member, Ms. Diggs was unanimously confirmed by the State Senate on May 13, 2020, to serve a six-year term.

Leo L. Dunn, Esquire

Leo. L. Dunn, Esquire, Chairman Mr. Dunn received a J.D. cum laude from Widener University School of Law Harrisburg in 2007 and three B.S. degrees from Penn State University in 1987. Mr. Dunn had a solo law practice and was an Adjunct Professor of Law. Mr. Dunn has served the citizens of the Commonwealth for over 29 years. Mr. Dunn is passionate about making state government work more effectively for the citizens of the Commonwealth. He has served as a member of the Juvenile Act Advisory Committee, the Homeless Program Coordination Committee, the Mental Health Justice Advisory Committee at the Commission for Crime and Delinquency, as chair of the GLBT Rights and Corrections System Committees and as a Council Member for the Solo and Small Firm Section of the Pennsylvania Bar Association. He was appointed Director of Policy and Legislative Affairs for the Board of Probation and Parole in 2012 after working nine years as the assistant director. Prior to working for the Board of Probation and Parole, Mr. Dunn spent 15 years with the Department of Agriculture serving in various roles. He was instrumental in the original development of the PA Preferred Program. He grew up on a family dairy farm in northern Pennsylvania. Mr. Dunn was confirmed by the Senate as a Board Member on December 9, 2015 for a partial (3 year) term and became Board Chairman on March 15, 2016. One of his main focuses has been improving the supervision and support network for mentally ill offenders being paroled. He has also led the agency from relying on paper files to becoming a leader in the use of electronics to reduce costs and expedite processes. Mr. Dunn was re-appointed in September 2018 and confirmed to a full six-year term on October 17 by the state Senate. This new term expires on October 17, 2024. He served as Chairman until February 5, 2019.

C. James Fox

Jim Fox began his criminal justice career in 1984 as a police officer for what is now known as the West Shore Regional Police Department. He served as a Captain in the United States Air Force as an Intelligence Officer from 1985 until 1990. After his military service, he again returned to policing until 1991, when he was appointed a Federal Probation Officer in the United States District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania. He served as a Federal Probation Officer until 1999. Fox then left federal service to become the Police Academy Training Director at Harrisburg Area Community College. He was promoted to Dean of Public Safety and Workforce Development where he oversaw all public safety and workforce training for the College. Governor Edward Rendell appointed Fox to the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole in 2007, where he served a 6-year term as Board Member. After his term, he was the Board’s Chief Hearing Examiner until 2016, earning the Board’s “Excellence in Leadership” award. He conducted criminal justice consulting and worked for Montgomery County Community College until he was nominated to return to the Board. Fox holds a Bachelor’s Degree in police administration from Eastern Kentucky University and a Master’s Degree in operations management from the University of Arkansas. A noted speaker, Fox has taught many academic classes and presented at numerous seminars on various criminal justice issues. In October 2018, Fox was nominated by Governor Tom Wolf to complete a partial term and returned to the Parole Board. He was re-nominated by Governor Wolf to serve a full six-year term and was confirmed by the Senate on May 13, 2020.

Mark D. Koch

Mr. Koch has spent more than 30 years working within the criminal justice system. In 1980 he began working as a police officer for the Department of Defense and continued his law enforcement career by working for several municipalities in Pennsylvania, which included the City of Hazleton. While serving as an active officer in Hazleton, Mr. Koch was promoted through the ranks to the position as Lieutenant, which he held until his retirement. Mr. Koch holds many awards, honors, and recognitions for his service to the public and law enforcement. In 1998, he was elected to the board of the Pennsylvania State Fraternal Order of Police as the treasurer where he served three terms. In 2004, he was elected to two terms as State President of the Fraternal Order of Police representing more than 40,000 law enforcement officers. Following his terms as treasurer and president, Mr. Koch was appointed director of legislative affairs for the Pennsylvania Fraternal Order of Police until 2012. In 2012, he was appointed Legislative Specialist for the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole where he researched and reviewed reports on policy issues, best practices regarding probation and parole, functioned as the agency policy coordinator, and worked with members of the General Assembly and their staff on legislation and administrative matters related to probation and parole. In 2015, Mr. Koch was promoted to the position of director of Policy and Legislative Affairs for the Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole where he continued his work meeting with legislators on issues related to probation and parole, including long-term agency strategies, establishing agency goals, participating in review of all board policies, and coordinate all legislative activities related to the board. Mr. Koch is a graduate of West Hazleton Senior High School and from the Pennsylvania State Police Northeast Municipal Police Officer Training Academy. He holds an Associate of Science degree in Social Science from Luzerne County Community College, Bachelor of Arts in Social Science from Ashford University, Clinton, Iowa, and a Master of Organizational Management with a specialization in leadership from Ashford University, Clinton, Iowa. On June 15, 2016, he was confirmed by the Senate.

Anthony Moscato

Anthony Moscato5x7.jpg Mr. Moscato has a life-long career of public service. He is a 1986 graduate of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. After serving for 16 years as a Cameron County Commissioner, he served as a Special Assistant to the Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania, Joseph Scarnati. Following this position, Mr. Moscato was appointed to the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to an initial two-year term in February 2011, and was then reappointed in January 2013 and January 2015. Prior to his government service, Mr. Moscato was the Administrator for the Keystone Rural Health Consortia, Inc. a federally qualified health care center serving all or part of Cameron, Elk, McKean, Potter and Centre counties. Moscato has also served as an investment executive for Parker/Hunter now Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC. In addition to his public service, Mr. Moscato has served as a member of the Nature Tourism Task Force; was president of the Cameron County Community chest; was chairman and state committeeman for the Cameron County Republican Committee; was President of the Cameron County Public Library Board of Trustees; was a member of the Citizen’s Trust Company Emporium Advisory Board; was the treasurer for the Cameron County Multiple Sclerosis Club; was chairman of the Cameron, Elk Mental Health/Mental Retardation Joinder; was the chairman of the North Central Pennsylvania Regional Planning and Development Commission; was Vice-President of the Northern Tier Community Action Corporation Board, was a past member of the Charles Cole Memorial Hospital Emporium Advisory Board; and is a member of the Emporium Rotary Club. In June 2017, Mr. Moscato was appointed to serve on the Board of Probation and Parole. On July 11, 2017, he was confirmed by the Senate.

Linda Pastroff Rosenberg

Ms. Rosenberg is a native of Pittsburgh. She graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in 1983 and went on to earn a Master of Business Administration from Robert Morris University in 1990 and a Bachelor of Arts from Michigan State University in 1987. She was appointed as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency in 2011 and has more than 25 years of experience working to improve the efficacy and efficiency of the Commonwealth’s criminal and juvenile justice systems. As Executive Director, she was responsible for the oversight of over 90 full-time staff and the administration of over 30 state and federal funding streams totaling more than $100 million annually. Ms. Rosenberg began her career at PCCD in 1992, serving as manager of its Computer Laboratory and Training Center and later as chief information officer. Ms. Rosenberg returned to PCCD in 2004 after serving as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Justice Network, or JNET, from 2001 to 2004. She is a member of the Commonwealth Leadership Development Institute for Women in State Government, and a member of the National Criminal Justice Association Board of Directors. She is also a former board member of SEARCH, the National Consortium for Justice Information and Statistics. On June 15, 2016, she was confirmed by the Senate.