Robert Downing, President

Robert Downing is a graduate of Louisiana State University. He has practiced law in Louisiana since 1975. After practicing law for 10 years, Bob Downing committed himself to a 25-year career in public service. During his judicial career, Bob Downing served as Chief Judge of the 19th JDC; was on the Executive Committee of the Louisiana District Judge’s Association; and was a Safe Team Member for A Partnership for Safe Communities: Courts, Education and Literacy with the National Judicial College. Bob also served as Co-Chair of the Governor’s Violence Task Force, and was on the Governor’s Transition Team for Corrections. Bob Downing participates in Prison Fellowship and is a frequent speaker on the subjects of crime prevention and rehabilitation. He was inducted into the Angola Justice Hall of Fame in 2008.

“I agreed to join the Board of Prison Seminaries Foundation because I have been going to Angola since 1989 and I have seen the difference the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and the Chapels have made on the violence in the prisons. This would not have happened without God and the vision he gave to Warden Burl Cain.” – Robert Downing