SALT LAKE CITY (Oct. 9, 2025) – Utah Governor Spencer J. Cox announced his intent to appoint Blake Hills as chair of the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole. Hills has served as acting Board Chair since outgoing Board Chair Scott Stephenson departed the Board earlier this year.

Hills has served on the Board since 2021, and has served as vice chairperson since April of 2025. He previously spent more than two decades as a prosecutor, including leadership roles at the Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office and service in the Summit County Attorney’s Office, where he focused on cases involving victims of domestic violence and child abuse. He also teaches constitutional and statutory criminal law at the Salt Lake Community College Law Enforcement Academy.

“Blake understands what’s at stake for victims, offenders, and communities. He makes careful decisions and he keeps his word. That is the kind of leadership this board deserves,” said Gov. Spencer J. Cox.

“I am truly humbled by this honor and I am grateful to Governor Cox for placing his faith in me,” Hills said. “Serving on the Board of Pardons and Parole for the last four and a half years has truly been a privilege. As Chair, I will continue to work faithfully to promote public safety while honoring the rights of everyone involved in the criminal justice process.”

Earlier in his career, Hills clerked for the Tennessee Court of Criminal Appeals and worked in the Utah Attorney General’s Office. He earned a J.D. from the University of Utah S.J. Quinney College of Law, where he was Order of the Coif, and a B.S., magna cum laude, from Weber State University. His professional service includes the Utah Supreme Court’s Advisory Committee on the Rules of Criminal Procedure, and his recognitions include Utah Business Legal Elite, District Attorney’s Office Attorney of the Year, and the Utah State Bar Outstanding Mentor Award.

The appointment will be effective beginning Tuesday, October 14, 2025.

Created by the Utah Constitution and state law, the Board determines when and under what conditions individuals serving prison sentences may be released. The Board may also grant pardons and commute or terminate sentences, and it sets and enforces conditions consistent with statute and the Board’s rules. Its mission is to protect public safety through informed, just decisions that consider victim input, accountability, risk reduction, and rehabilitation.

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