Professional of the Month

Dr. R.J. Polisky
Past President and first Vice President
Board of Director APPA

Dr. R. J. (“Randy”) Polisky is a Past President and first Vice President of the American Probation and Parole Association. He began his professional career as an adult probation and parole officer in Northern Virginia and Washington, D.C. During that time, he was also an institutional parole officer in one of Virginia’s prisons. He received a Special Commendation from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Attorney General’s Office in Alexandria, Virginia while working in Northern Virginia.

Dr. Polisky has been a staunch supporter of the work of line personnel and believes they play a significant role in community safety and the reform and rehabilitation of justice-involved individuals.

Deb Minardi
Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation
State of Nebraska

After more than four decades of serving communities in Nebraska, Ms. Deb Minardi is retiring from the Administrative Office of the Courts and Probation. A trailblazer for women in the field, she started her career as a probation officer in 1980 before being promoted to Chief Probation Officer in 1989, where she was the youngest Chief in Nebraska, and the only woman, who oversaw the state's largest judicial jurisdiction in Omaha. She served in the AOC for the last 18 years, most recently as Administrator. A longtime APPA member and supporter, Ms. Minardi has given back to the field in many ways including as Vice President on APPA's Executive Board and as a mentor in its Leadership Institute program. She says one of her proudest career moments was seeing Nebraska implement evidence-based practices in its community supervision programs. "I knew something better was out there than trail 'em, nail 'em, and jail 'em," she said. "That really energized me with hope for our future." Ms. Minardi plans to travel during her retirement and remain involved in the field.