Biography

 

Wansley Walters is a nationally recognized leader in juvenile justice. She pioneered juvenile justice services in Miami-Dade County before being named director of its Juvenile Services Department in 2002. During her tenure, Miami-Dade not only had the lowest youth incarceration rate in the state, but also boasted one of Florida’s lowest juvenile crime rates. In January 2011, Governor Rick Scott appointed her to lead the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ).

As head of DJJ, Secretary Walters is responsible for a state agency of 3,500 employees serving youth and communities throughout Florida. In October 2012, she announced the launch of the Roadmap to System Excellence, a comprehensive initiative to strategically reform juvenile justice in Florida. The Roadmap’s objective is to make sure the right youth receive the right service at the right time, continuing the state’s downward trend in juvenile delinquency.  

Secretary Walters has presented at numerous state, national and international conferences on juvenile justice. In November 2012 she was one of eight recipients of the 2012 Juvenile Justice Without Borders International Award presented by the International Juvenile Justice Observatory (IJJO) during the International Youth Justice Convention in London. The IJJO grants the award once every two years to individuals and organizations for outstanding achievements in juvenile justice research, advocacy and intervention under the auspices of the United Nations.

A native of Georgia, Secretary Walters received a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida.