Officers
Sherry Sandler assumed her duties as MASCA President on July 1, 2023. She currently serves as the Manager of the Community Programs Division of the New Jersey State Parole Board, and the Coordinator of the Office of Gender Responsive Services. She began her career with the New Jersey State Parole Board in 1998. Prior to her current assignment, she was Community Outreach and Training Coordinator for the Community Programs Division. She previously served as the Program Placement Coordinator for the Community Programs Division, oversaw administrative operations and staff in the Revocation Unit, and assisted in processing parole release hearings in the Division of Release. In 2012, she served on the Governors Task Force for Recidivism Reduction.Sherry has been a member of the MASCA Board of Trustees since 2016, and previously served as Membership Chair and NJ State Whip. She joined the New Jersey Chapter of the American Correctional Association in 1999 and has served on the Executive Board since 2006. She is a Motivational Interviewing Trainer, an Offender Workforce Development Specialist, and a former Girl Scout Leader. She attended Stockton University and was the recipient of the 2023 Beloved Project Community Hero Award, the 2015 MASCA Sal Russoniello Service Award, the 2014 State Parole Board Outstanding Performance Award, and the 2004 State Parole Board Chairman's Award for Supervisory Excellence.
Helena Tomé is the Assistant Commissioner of Women’s Services at the New Jersey Department of Corrections, where she leads the implementation of gender-responsive services and operational practices to support the needs of incarcerated women. She ensures compliance with national standards, focusing on rehabilitation and restorative justice.
Previously, Ms. Tomé directed reentry and accreditation programs, overseeing a variety of state, county, and federally funded initiatives, including work release programs for incarcerated persons, treatment centers, and community resource facilities for ex-offenders and parolees. She also ensured compliance with ACA and PREA standards and has extensive experience in domestic violence and sexual assault advocacy.
Ms. Tomé is an active board member of the Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association and the New Jersey Chapter of the American Correctional Association. She is a graduate of Rutgers University and is a Certified Public Manager.
Paul Taggines has held the position of Chief Operating Officer at The Kintock Group, a non-profit company providing reentry and treatment services, since 2020. In this role, he is responsible for strategic planning, organizational development, contract compliance, budgetary planning and operational effectiveness of the company.
Paul began his career at the Kintock Group in 2001 and since that time Paul has held a wide range of positions, including Site Administrator of the Bridgeton Campus, Senior Director of Corrections and Federal Bureau of Prisons programs, and in 2015 he was named the company's Corporate Director of Facility Operations.
Paul holds a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice from Holy Family College and a Master of Public Administration from Rutgers University.
Sandy Hassan assumed her duties as MASCA Secretary on July 1, 2023. She became a member of MASCA in 2022. She has fifteen years experience in the corrections profession.
In 2008, she began her career as a correctional officer. She moved up through the custodial ranks to Sergeant in 2016 and then achieved the rank of Lieutenant in 2019. Presently, she is Assistant Superintendent of prison operations.
Amanda Zimmerman graduated from Clarion University in 2002 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education. In 2013, she earned her Master’s Degree in Educational Development and Strategies from Wilke’s University. Amanda began her career with the Department of Corrections in 2007 as an Adult Basic Education Instructor at SCI Forest. In 2013, she accepted a position as a Parole Agent with the PA Board of Probation and Parole eventually receiving a promotion to Institutional Parole Supervisor in 2021. In 2023, Amanda was promoted to Corrections Classification Program Manager (CCPM) at SCI Forest. She was appointed to the Executive Board of the Community Corrections Association of Pennsylvania (CCAPA) in 2017. In 2022, she joined the Mid-Atlantic States Correctional Association Board of Trustees and was subsequently elected Treasurer in 2023.
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Operations Manager - Michael Carrington (Pennsylvania)
Michael Carrington currently serves as the Statewide Veteran's Coordinator for the PA Department of Corrections. Prior to this appointment in December of 2020, he served as the Institutional Parole Supervisor at the Forest State Correctional Institution (SCI) in Marienville, PA. Michael began his employment with the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as a Corrections Officer in 2007, following an honorable discharge from the United States Marine Corps as a Sergeant in 2006. Also in 2006, he graduated Magna Cum Laude from Park University with a B.S. Degree in Criminal Justice, minor in Management.
In September of 2008, he obtained a position with the PA Board of Probation and Parole as an Institutional Parole Agent. He was then promoted to Institutional Parole Supervisor in January of 2011. He is currently active as the Chair for the PA Governor's Advisory Council for Veteran's Services (Judiciary Committee) and a board member for the Community Corrections Association of Pennsylvania (CCAPA). He has been serving MASCA as the Operations Manager since 2019.