Gov. Doug Ducey has appointed a new chairperson of the Arizona Board of Executive Clemency.
Ducey appointed Mina Mendez on Friday to replace former Chairman C.T. Wright, who died in October after leading the board since 2016.
The Board of Executive Clemency conducts hearings of inmates seeking release from prison and makes recommendations to the governor.
Mendez was born in Phoenix and grew up in Arizona and Mexico City. She is a graduate of the University of Arizona and its College of Law.
Her previous experience includes nine years as a Superior Court commissioner, four years as a judge pro tem for the Superior Court and six years as an assistant attorney general.
Mendez served as a member of the clemency board for the past year.
