APAI President

Kecia Rongen
Kecia Rongen has worked within the criminal justice system for over 25 years, specializing with individuals who have committed sex offenses as well as co-occurring disorders (mental health and substance abuse disorders). Just prior to coming to the Washington Indeterminate Sentence Review Board, she served as the Administrator for Sexual Offender Programs within the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration. In addition, she has served on a number of legislative workgroups related to policies for people who commit sex offenses.

Kecia has served the association, by sitting on various committees and as the Treasurer and Vice-President. In May 2026, Kecia was elected as President of APAI for a term beginning July 1, 2026. Kecia has been recognized nationally for her expertise in parole decision-making and correctional policy, serving as a speaker, panelist and committee member for organizations including the National Institute of Corrections, the Center for Effective Public Policy, the Crime and Justice Institute and other criminal justice organizations.

In 2016, Kecia was awarded the Philip L. Russell Ph.D. Achievement Award for Outstanding Contributor to the Field of Sex Offender and Victim Rehabilitation by the Washington Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers and in 2025, awarded the President’s Award for significant contributions to the field of parole and APAI. Kecia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Master of Arts in Counseling. The Washington State Governor appointed Kecia to the Board in 2012, and appointed her as Chair in September of 2015.

APAI Past President

Jonathan Ogletree
Jonathan Ogletree is a highly accomplished criminal justice executive with over three decades of leadership in community corrections, public safety, and reintegration policy in Kansas. He currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Re-entry and Reintegration at VitalCore Health Strategies in Topeka, a position he has held since 2024. Prior to transitioning to the private sector, Mr. Ogletree dedicated 34 years of exemplary public service to the Kansas Department of Corrections (KDOC), ultimately concluding his state tenure as the long-standing Chair of the Kansas Prisoner Review Board.

Mr. Ogletree’s extensive career in corrections began in 1989, as a Correctional Officer at the Lansing Correctional Facility, following his active-duty military service in the U.S. Army. Demonstrating a steadfast commitment to rehabilitation and public safety, he steadily advanced through the ranks as a Correctional Counselor, Unit Team Manager, and Director of the Shawnee County Re-entry Program. His specialized expertise led to his appointment as a foundational board member of the newly established Kansas Prisoner Review Board in 2011, which he later led as Board Chair from 2016 to 2024. During this same period, he lent his leadership to state-level policy as a member of the Kansas Sentencing Commission and guided international professional collaboration as President of the association.

An esteemed advisor and trainer, Mr. Ogletree has made significant contributions to systemic reform on both state and national levels. He played an instrumental role in modernizing the Kansas criminal justice framework during its crucial transition from the legacy Kansas Parole Board to the modern Prisoner Review Board structure. Nationally, he served on the Advisory Council for the Pew and Arnold Foundations, directly contributing to the creation of the Community Supervision Policy Framework used to optimize probation and parole systems nationwide. Additionally, as a specialized trainer for the National Institute of Corrections (NIC), he has consulted for multiple states; including California, Utah, Kentucky, and Washington, to train executive parole leaders on the Structured Decision-Making Framework (SDMF).

Mr. Ogletree holds a Master of Arts in Management and Organizational Leadership from Webster University and a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Management and Leadership from Friends University. He is also certified through NIC in the Advanced Practicum for "Thinking for a Change," a premier cognitive-behavioral program designed to support successful reintegration.

Executive Director

Ashley Koonce
Ashley Koonce began her work with the Association of Paroling Authorities International (APAI) in 2015, while serving as the Secretariat. In this role, she provided administrative support to the Executive Director, Executive Committee, and other association committees. Ashley was appointed as Executive Director of the association in December of 2018. Ashley has a diverse background in the field of criminal justice. Her first role in corrections saw her coordinate agency efforts to assist with the rehabilitation of incarcerated individuals. In this position, she managed special projects and implemented and executed legislative efforts throughout the agency. Ashley also worked with agency officials, outside agencies, and government officials to review and put into operation incoming evidence-based rehabilitation programs to ensure they met strict standards. After this, she assumed a new role, where she coordinated multiple state, national, and international correctional training programs. In this role she also served as the Executive Director of multiple correctional professional associations. Ashley currently works in the field of correctional education, with a focus on post-secondary education opportunities for incarcerated individuals.

Ashley received her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2009, Master of Business Administration with an emphasis in Management in 2018, and Master of Science in Criminal Justice in 2020, all from Sam Houston State University.