Rich Sparaco has served as Interim Executive Director of the Connecticut Sentencing Commission since June 2025, bringing more than three decades of experience in criminal justice, including leadership roles with the Connecticut Department of Correction and the Board of Pardons and Paroles.

He began his career in 1992 as a Social Worker and later a Correctional Counselor. In 1994, he was promoted to Institutional Parole Officer in the Hearings Division, and in 1998, he helped pilot a zero-tolerance drug program in New Haven. Returning to the Hearings Division in 1999, he led key initiatives, including implementation of the Board’s risk assessment instrument, development of an electronic file system, and creation of a policy and procedures manual.

In 2000, Rich was promoted to Parole and Community Service Manager, overseeing parole release and violation hearings. By 2004, he had also taken on roles as Legislative Liaison and Project Manager for a cross-agency electronic case management system. He later led the development of the Board’s Intake and Assessment Unit and the Planning, Research, and Development Unit, becoming Director of the latter in 2011.

Appointed Executive Director of the Board of Pardons and Paroles in 2014, he oversaw major policy and operational reforms, including implementation of an online pardon application system, creation of a Legal Affairs Unit, and policies aligned with the state’s Second Chance Society initiative. His work focused on streamlining parole and pardon hearings and policies to reduce technical parole violations.

After retiring from state service in July 2022, Rich continued his work at the Board in a contractual capacity for one year before joining the Connecticut Sentencing Commission as a part-time consultant in September 2023. He later served as a National Program Advisor with the National Institute of Corrections before returning to the Commission as Interim Executive Director.

Mr. Sparaco holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University and has served as an adjunct professor at the University of New Haven. He has held leadership roles with the Connecticut Probation and Parole Association and the New England Council on Crime and Delinquency, where he is currently State Chairman and a past president.