Governor appoints chairman for parole board

The new chairwoman of the Nevada Board of Parole Commissioners is no stranger to the problems of releasing inmates.

Dorlan Salling was named to the position by Gov. Kenny Guinn on Friday.

She is presently a district administrator for the Division of Parole and Probation in Reno.

"I'm very excited about this new opportunity and I appreciate Gov. Guinn's confidence in my abilities," Salling said. "The role of parole board chair carries great responsibility. I will work hard to make the best decisions possible while keeping the rights of victims and the safety of the public as my first priority."

Salling supervises more than 100 parole and probation officers and support staff in her job making recommendations to district courts and parole boards on the incarceration, parole and probation of offenders.

She has worked in the field for 25 years and is a Peace Officer Standards and Training certified officer and instructor.

She graduated with a B.S. in criminal justice from East Texas State in 1975. She designed and conducted training academies and wrote a manual on sentencing guidelines for the Parole and Probation Division. Salling serves on the Washoe County Child Assault Prevention, Domestic Violence, and Jail Overcrowding Task Force.

Salling replaces board chairman Richard Wyett, who resigned Nov. 16.

Wyett, a longtime staffer and administrator of the state Parole and Probation Division, had come out of retirement seven months ago to take the $78,000 Parole Board chairmanship at Guinn's request.

He resigned because of what he calls ''recent conflicts and allegations as well as my personal opinion about inappropriate activity ... that seriously undermines the board's credibility.''

While not mentioning her by name, he referred to an investigation into allegations that board member Tami Bass drove a car while her driver's license was suspended.

Bass agreed to a five-day suspension without pay to be served early in January.