Kristi Bunkers currently serves as the Director of Juvenile Services for the South Dakota Department of Corrections. In this position, she is responsible for the out-of-home placement of youth committed to the department’s care, as well as re-entry and aftercare services to include policy and process improvement planning for the division. With over twenty-eight years of experience in juvenile justice, Kristi has served on numerous policy committees and councils. She served as a member of the workgroup that was charged with examining South Dakota’s juvenile justice system and preparing policy recommendations to guide reform efforts. She currently serves as a member of the Juvenile Justice Reinvestment Initiative Oversight Council charged with monitoring the impact of the reforms.

Kristi earned an M.S. in Counseling from South Dakota State University. She makes her home in Sioux Falls, South Dakota with her husband Mark, two sons, Logan and Seth and their beloved corgi, Jessi.

Larome Myrick is the Executive Director for the Rhode Island Department of Children, Youth and Families Division of Youth Development.  He began his career as direct-care staff and promoted to leadership positions in parole services and reentry at the Ohio Department of Youth Services. He holds a bachelor’s degree in healthcare administration and social sciences from the University of Toledo and master’s degree in organizational leadership from Lourdes College. Larome recently earned his PhD.

Shawanda Reynolds-Cobb currently serves as the Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). She is responsible for the daily operation of more than 3,400 funded employee positions that hold justice-involved youth accountable for their actions through probation supervision and secure detention. 

Prior to her appointment, Commissioner Reynolds-Cobb served as Assistant Commissioner and Chief of Staff, overseeing the operational aspects of DJJ, including the Division of Administrative Services, Division of Community Services, Division of Secure Facilities, Division of Treatment and Care, and Office of Professional Development and Standards.

Commissioner Reynolds-Cobb has 30 years of experience in government service, beginning her career with the State of Georgia at the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council (CJCC) in 1993. While at CJCC, Mrs. Reynolds-Cobb managed the daily operations of the Georgia Crime Victims Compensation Program, including the DUI Sign Program, Restitution Program, and the Training and Outreach Program. She also oversaw the Division budget and was the Legislative Liaison for CJCC.

Mrs. Reynolds-Cobb earned her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice from Georgia State University in 1994 and her Master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University in 1999.

Anders Jacobson was appointed the Director of the Division of Youth Services in 2016. In his position he oversees the operations at 12 State operated youth centers, the juvenile detention system, and parole program services. Jacobson has worked in the juvenile justice field for 26 years, with many of those years spent in leadership roles at residential facilities operated by the state and within the private sector. As the director of DYS, Jacobson has complete oversight of the division’s advanced service delivery system, with a strong focus on outcomes and cross-system partnerships to ensure quality services are provided to youth in the division’s care.

Director Heidi Mueller was previously named Deputy Director of Programs for the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice in 2014. In that role, she served as the principal policy-making official for all of the Department’s programs including healthcare, behavioral health services, vocational and recreational programming. In addition, Heidi conceptualized and implemented the core IDJJ intervention and behavioral management programs.

Director Mueller earned her degree in Psychology and History from Macalester College. She also received her Juris Doctorate from the University of Chicago Law School.

As a former probation executive and head of a state juvenile corrections agency, Susan Burke brings nearly 30 years of experience in the justice field to her position as executive director of The Carey Group. She led both adult and juvenile justice reform in Utah; championed legislation to offer treatment rather than incarceration to substance-dependent individuals involved in the criminal justice system; shaped state policies on a variety of justice-related issues; and served on many national boards.

She is the former president of the American Probation and Parole Association and has served on the executive committees for the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, the Justice Center Board for the Council of State Governments, and the National Association of Probation Executives. Susan has used Carey Group Publishing resources in her own agencies to strengthen practices and improve outcomes for system-involved individuals.

Her skills in strategic planning and the application of evidence-based practices resulted in a 15 percent improvement in felony-free behavior for system-involved individuals within a five-year period. She received the Youth Advocate of the Year award in 2002 and again in 2018 from the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice. She also received, from the Council of Juvenile Corrections Administrators, the President’s Award in 2013 and the Outstanding Administrator Award in 2015.

She has spoken at national conferences, been a keynote speaker, and is an inspirational leader for community corrections. She has a strong belief that with the right tools and the right mindset, any justice agency can fulfill its mission to help individuals contribute to a safer community.

Steven Lafreniere was appointed as Executive Director of the Alabama Department of Youth Services (DYS) July 1st 2014. Prior to coming to DYS, Mr. Lafreniere worked for the Alabama Department of Mental Health (ADMH) for nearly seventeen (17) years and held numerous positions within that department including: Resource Specialists, Coordinator of Child and Family Services (Mental Illness Division); and Director of the Office of Children’s Services for the Department of Mental Health. Prior to state service, he worked for a Community Mental Health Center as a child and family therapist and evaluated youth in detention who had been committed to DYS. He serves on numerous state and national committees related to At-Risk youth and delinquency. He currently serves as Vice President of the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (CJJCA). He has worked with youth and families since 1988 through a variety of disciplines and settings.

Mr. Lafreniere is a graduate of Auburn University and Auburn University Montgomery with a Master of Science in Psychology. He lives in Wetumpka Alabama with his wife Kelly and they have two daughters.

Valerie is the former Director of the Department of Juvenile Justice. She has more than 30 years of experience in juvenile justice and human services. She is an experienced Independent Juvenile Justice Consultant and has provided management consultation, training, and technical assistance in a number of human services and juvenile corrections settings. She has consulted with federal governmental agencies such as OJJDP, BJA, Health and Human Services’ Children and Family Services Bureau, and the National Highway and Transportation Administration. Her consultation includes considerable work with various state and local entities, along with non-profit organizations including the Boys and Girls Clubs of America. Ms. Boykin completed undergraduate studies at the University of Virginia in 1980 and received a master’s degree in public administration from Old Dominion University in 1989.

Eric Meaux has served as Chief of the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department since 2012.  Chief Meaux is one of three appointed authorities for the Judicial Branch of Arizona in Maricopa County, the 4^th largest county in the U.S. His overall responsibilities include all juvenile custodial intake (secure detention), investigation, diversion, and probation supervision functions involving 5,000 alleged and adjudicated youth annually.

Prior to his appointment in 2012, Chief Meaux served as the Director of the Delinquency and Courts Services Division for Milwaukee County in Wisconsin since 2007. In Wisconsin, Mr. Meaux co-chaired Milwaukee County’s Community Justice Council – Committee on Juvenile Justice, represented Milwaukee County and testified in State Legislative committees including budget hearing sessions, “raise the age” legislation, high-risk offenders, and served as a Governor appointee to the State of Wisconsin’s Juvenile Justice Commission.

Prior to these appointments, Mr. Meaux held various public and private positions serving the juvenile justice field since 1994. Mr. Meaux has a B.S. and M.S. degree in Criminal Justice in addition to an Associate degree in Police Science. His work in the juvenile justice field for both government and non-profit agencies, is supplemented by number of years services as an elected Councilman for the City of Wauwatosa in Wisconsin having served as Council President, Interim Mayor, and Public Safety Committee Chair.