Senior Staff

Executive Director

Jim Montgomery

A native of central Illinois, Jim received his BA from Millikin University in 1992 and his MPA from the Harvard Kennedy School in 2006.

Prior to being appointed the first Acting Executive Director, Jim Montgomery was elected Mayor of the City of Taylorville at the age of 27; serving two terms.  He has served as the Director of Administration and Finance with the Boston Emergency Medical Services; Vice President of Client Relations with Intermedix Corporation; Director of Administration and Finance and later Commissioner with the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation; and Director of Administrative Services with the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Department.

In his current capacity, the Executive Director will be responsible for overseeing administrative board operations, including the facilitation of additional domestic violence prevention training and other important equity-based trainings for board members. 

General Counsel

Kahalah Clay

General Counsel Clay joined the Executive Team of the Prisoner Review Board in December 2021.  A native of E. St. Louis, Mrs. Clay graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law.

Prior to her time as General Counsel, she was the first African American and first female Circuit Clerk of St. Clair County, IL., serving in that capacity for over a decade.  During her Administration, Mrs. Clay served as the first African American President of the Illinois Association of Court Clerks and was appointed to numerous Illinois Supreme Court Committees including the Commission on Access to Justice, the Committee on Pretrial Reform and Faculty for Judicial Ed Con.

After graduating from law school, Mrs. Clay served as a full time Public Defender and a solo practitioner with her own firm in Indianapolis, IN.  She also served the people of St. Clair County as an Assistant State’s Attorney prior to her ascension to Circuit Clerk.

In her current capacity, General Counsel Clay also serves as the Agency’s Ethics and DEIA Officer as well as the Legislative Liaison.

Chief of Staff

Melissa Brandenburg (Bio forthcoming)

Chief Administrative Officer/Personnel

Nichole Damhoff (Bio forthcoming)

Chief of Operations/Records Supervisor