Jimmy Carter's pastor picked to lead Trump's prisoner reentry effort

ATLANTA — The pastor of former President Jimmy Carter's church in Georgia is joining President Donald Trump's administration, leading an effort to improve prisoner reentry, White House officials said Thursday. 

Pastor Tony Lowden of Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Georgia, was appointed executive director of the administration's Federal Interagency Council on Crime Prevention and Improving Reentry. 

Trump launched the council in 2018 to help reduce recidivism by improving released prisoners' access to education, job opportunities and mental health services. 

Lowden, who grew up in a single-parent home in north Philadelphia, is the first black pastor at Maranatha. He formally served as the director of the faith and justice initiative for the Georgia Governor’s Office of Transition Support and Reentry under former Gov. Nathan Deal. He also works as a chaplain for the Secret Service in southwest Georgia

Carter, 95, regularly attends service at Maranatha and famously teaches Sunday school at the church. In the last year, Carter has faced several health issues and underwent brain surgery in November.

“I cannot think of anyone better than Tony Lowden to lead a national effort to help those who have served time in prison get a true second chance once they are released," Carter said in a statement. "With support and resources, recidivism can decrease and former inmates can become productive members of their communities. The congregation at Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains will help in any way we can." 

Trump has made prison reform a priority. In December 2018, he signed the First Step Act which enacted reforms to help inmates successfully transition back into society.

The law also strives to provide inmates with a "second chance" through fair sentencing and home confinement for low-risk, elderly inmates. 

White House reporter Michael Collins contributed to this report.