Apr 13, 2012

Dear DJJ Team Members:

Welcome to my weekly letter. Please allow me to share some recent news and announcements.

SECRETARY’S FORUM: I am excited about yesterday’s launch of the first phase of the Secretary’s Forum. This process provides all state, contracted and private-provider employees a direct link to my office so they may submit suggestions to resolve problems and implement improvements without fear of punishment. Phase I of the forum makes it possible to manually submit recommendations using the Secretary’s Forum Suggestion/Issue form. (The form is available on the DJJ intranet in the forms library at http://www.djj.state.fl.us/partners/forms-library/page/7/ and on the external DJJ website at http://www.djj.state.fl.us/partners/forum.) Phase II will be the release of the online version of the form, which will automate the submission process and make it more convenient. Both the online and manual submission processes allow employees to choose to remain anonymous. Remember, suggestions that result in cost savings to the state may be nominated for a Prudential Davis Productivity Award. Therefore, if you submit a recommendation that you believe will save the state money, you can be recognized for an award if you choose to identify yourself!

DJJ USES BEST STRATEGIES: This week I attended a Juvenile Justice Leadership Network meeting at the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C., where significant reforms across the country at the state and local levels were the focus. Topics included Trauma Informed Care, Reengineering Juvenile Justice Systems (with emphasis on downsizing, consolidating and realignment of services), and the Science of Implementation, which addressed embedding culture change throughout all levels of the juvenile justice continuum to support the implementation of reforms. One of the specific topics of that session was quality improvement. As you know, in January DJJ improved our program review process, which is now the Quality Improvement Review process. I was pleased to find that the reforms regarded as the optimal changes needed in juvenile justice facilities across the nation have already commenced at DJJ. Once again, Florida is proving to be ahead of the curve in juvenile justice reform.

OREGON JDAI STRENGTHENS DJJ: A delegation of executive leadership and senior policy analysts visited the Multnomah County, Oregon model JDAI (Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative) site, which has achieved substantial success in juvenile justice reform. This site visit is critical to gaining information that will help reform and restructure our agency. The Multnomah JDAI site has significantly reduced the numbers of youths on probation, in secure detention, and in residential programs. Learning from Multnomah JDAI officials will help strengthen Florida’s juvenile justice reform and better serve youth in our care.

NEW REGIONAL DIRECTORS: I am pleased to announce the following recent appointments to the Office of Probation and Community Intervention.

Jill Bessette-Clemens has been appointed director of the north region. She previously served in this position and has more than 23 years of juvenile justice experience in both the public and private sectors. Jill has broad experience in a variety of DJJ program areas. She has served as a juvenile probation officer and supervisor, and as superintendent of a moderate-risk residential program and a detention center. While a detention superintendent, Jill was honored as DJJ Detention Superintendent of the Year. Most recently, she served as the lead chief probation officer for the northeast region. Jill has a bachelor’s degree in education and psychology from the State University of New York and is a certified public manager (CPM).

Vanessa Hargray has been appointed as director of the south region. She has worked in juvenile delinquency with the State of Florida for over 30 years in a variety of direct care, administrative and management positions. Since 2008, Vanessa has served as chief probation officer for Circuit 17/Broward County. She is an active community member, having served on several boards, councils and committees for children and at-risk youth, and has received many awards for her dedication and commitment. Vanessa has a bachelor’s degree in sociology/criminology from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and a master’s degree in organizational management from the University of Phoenix. She is also certified as a CPM through the Florida Center for Public Management at Florida State University.

NEW FEDERAL GRANTS COORDINATOR: Teresa Millan is the new federal grants coordinator for DJJ, as well as the delinquency prevention specialist for Circuit 2. She is responsible for federal Title II, Title V and Juvenile Accountability Block grants, which are used to fund prevention efforts throughout the state. Teresa formerly was a grants/contract manager for the Florida Attorney General’s Office, where she managed the federally funded Victims of Crimes Act (VOCA) program. She also has experience providing programmatic and financial on-site monitoring and technical assistance. Teresa is a graduate of Florida State University with a bachelor’s degree in Humanities.

NEW WEB MANAGER: Darron Toston joins DJJ to administer the operation of our Internet and intranet websites. He has 10 years of experience in computer systems and web management for state and county government, as well as the private sector. Among his many accomplishments, Darron developed systems for contract routing and evaluations, invoice processing and corrective action plans at the Florida Department of Children and Families. Most recently, he served as web programmer for the Florida State University Foundation. Darron has a bachelor’s degree in computer information systems from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University and a master’s degree in management information systems from Nova Southeastern University.


It gives me great satisfaction to know that changes we have implemented at DJJ are at the cutting edge of juvenile justice reform. The ideas you contribute through the Secretary’s Forum will further our agency’s improvements. Please join me in congratulating Jill and Vanessa, and welcoming Teresa and Darron. Their experience and skills are great assets to these key positions. To all employees, thank you for all your efforts to help the youth in our care.

Sincerely,

Wansley Walters

Secretary

PS: Please send any noteworthy or newsworthy items for consideration in my weekly letter to Communications Director C. J. Drake at cj.drake@djj.state.fl.us or call 850.921.5905. Submissions are considered on a space-available basis and may be edited for clarity and length. Thank you for your cooperation.