Lunenburg County Sheriff Arthur Townsend Jr. has been appointed to the Virginia State Crime Commission.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe recently made the announcement along with a number of others appointments.

The appointees will join the McAuliffe administration’s focus on finding common ground with members of both parties on issues that will build a new Virginia economy and create more jobs across the state, according to a release about appointments.

McAuliffe also made appointments to the state’s board of social work, Board of Visitors of the Virginia School for the Deaf and Blind, Virginia Fire Services Board, Virginia Growth and Opportunity Board and the Virginia Research Investment Committee.

Appointed to the crime commission along with Townsend were Kristine R. Hall, of Charlottesville, policy director, Virginia Sexual and Domestic Violence Action Alliance; and John Venuti, of Richmond, chief of police, associate vice president of Campus Safety at Virginia Commonwealth University.

The crime commission studies, reports on and makes recommendations on all areas of public safety and protection. The commission attempts to determine the causes of crime and recommends ways to reduce and prevent it, explore and recommends methods of rehabilitation of convicted criminals, study compensation of those in law enforcement and related fields, and study other related matters — including the apprehension, trial and punishment of criminals, according to its website.

The commission cooperates with the state’s executive branch, the attorney general’s office and the judiciary. It also cooperates with governments and governmental agencies of other states.

The 13-members include nine legislative members, three non-legislative citizen members and one state official.

Six members are appointed by the Virginia Speaker of the House of Delegates, three senate members are appointed by the Senate Committee on Rules, three non-legislative citizen members are appointed by the governor and the Virginia Attorney General or his designee.

Non-legislative citizen members must be citizens of Virginia.

The term of each appointee is for two years, except for the attorney general and legislative members, whose terms coincide with their terms of office.

The commission elects a chairman and vice-chairman annually, who are members of the general assembly.