Adrienne Barnes Nell Bernstein Lisa Bennett Marty Beyer, PhD

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1 Adrienne Barnes graduated from Mary Baldwin College with degrees in Political Science and Economics. Following her undergraduate study, Ms. Barnes attended and graduated from the Washington and Lee University School of Law. Upon graduation from law school, Ms. Barnes began practicing in the private sector, focusing on criminal defense and family law, later becoming qualified as a Guardian ad litem for children. In 2013 Ms. Barnes opened her own law office and continues to practice in the areas of adult and juvenile criminal defense, family law, and child welfare and dependency cases. Ms. Barnes has dedicated almost thirteen years of her practice to serving the children of the Commonwealth as a guardian ad litem. Nell Bernstein author of Burning Down the House. When teenagers scuffle on the basketball court, they are typically benched for the game. But when Brian got into it on the court, he and his rival were sprayed in the face at close range by a chemical similar to Mace, denied a shower for twenty-four hours, then locked in solitary confinement for a month. One in three American schoolchildren will be arrested by the time they are twenty-three and many will spend time locked inside horrific detention centers that fly in the face of everything we know about how to rehabilitate young offenders. In a cleareyed indictment of the juvenile justice system run amok, award-winning journalist Nell Bernstein shows that there is no right way to lock up a child. The very act of isolation denies delinquent children the thing that is most essential to their growth and rehabilitation: positive relationships with caring adults. Bernstein introduces us to youth who have suffered violence and psychological torture at the hands of the state. Too many will never recover from the experience, creating a cycle that leaves the public less safe, not more so. Bernstein presents them all as fully realized people, not victims. As they describe in their own voices their fight to maintain their humanity and protect their individuality in environments that would deny both, the young people offer a hopeful alternative to the doomed effort to reform a system that should only be dismantled. Lisa Bennett has advocated on behalf of low-income persons since Her current work in the JustChildren program focuses on education and special education rights of juveniles by providing individual representation to court-involved youth in the City of Richmond s schools, by training parents and other professionals, and by advocating for positive policy and legislative changes. Lisa obtained her law degree from the University of Richmond. Marty Beyer, PhD is a juvenile justice and child welfare consultant whose work focuses on the impact of cognitive, moral, and identity development, trauma, and disabilities on youth offenses and service planning. She has a Ph.D. in clinical psychology and is a U.S. Justice Department monitor in New York state juvenile facilities. She was LGBT consultant to the Hawaii Office of Youth Services and an expert in Rosie D. (a Massachusetts class action on behalf of Medicaid-eligible children). She supported the implementation of strengths/needs-based practices with delinquent youth in Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Maryland, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Washington, D.C. She provides developmental assessments for juvenile waiver/transfer hearings, sentencing for juveniles in adult court, and

2 dispositional planning in juvenile court. Dr. Beyer offers training and consultation on juvenile justice, child welfare, and mental health services for children and families. Dr. Beyer s child welfare publications include "Too Little, Too Late: Designing Family Support to Succeed, Developmentally-Sound Practice in Family and Juvenile Court, Visit Coaching: Building on Family Strengths to Meet Children s Needs and a chapter in Children of Incarcerated Parents: Developmental and Clinical Issues (Yvette R. Harris, James A. Graham, and Gloria Oliver Carpenter, eds.). Dr. Beyer s juvenile justice publications include "Juvenile Boot Camps Don't Make Sense," Experts for Juveniles at Risk of Adult Sentences, "Delinquent Girls: A Developmental Perspective," "What's Behind Behavior Matters, "Punishing Children for their Disabilities," "Fifty Delinquents in Juvenile and Adult Court," Developmentally-Sound Practice in Family and Juvenile Court and a chapter in Promoting Health and Well Being in the Juvenile Justice System (Francine Sherman and Francine Jacobs, Eds.). Audrey Burges is an Assistant County Attorney for Henrico County, and has represented Henrico County Public Schools since Prior to serving as counsel for the School Board, she was in private practice, where she primarily concentrated on juvenile law and education law, including extensive work as a guardian ad litem for children. She attended law school at the University of Richmond. Angela Ciolfi is the Legal Director of JustChildren, a program of the Legal Aid Justice Center that focuses on improving Virginia's public education, juvenile justice, and foster care systems. Her work for the program earned her the Oliver White Hill Award from the Virginia State Bar in 2003 and the Child Advocacy Award from the American Bar Association s Young Lawyers Division in At JustChildren, Angela has been involved in advocating state-level reforms in public education and representing individual clients in student discipline, enrollment, special education, and other areas of children s law. Angela is also a Lecturer at the University of Virginia School of Law where she teaches a seminar on Special Education Law and supervises students in the Child Advocacy Clinic. Sarah Denham began working in the Richmond City Attorney s Office in 2002, specializing in representing the Richmond Department of Social Services (RDSS) in its child dependency cases. Throughout her career, Ms. Denham has handled over 6000 cases involving physical abuse, sexual abuse and neglect. Ms. Denham has also served as the attorney overseeing the Family Drug Treatment Court for the Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court. Ms. Denham serves as her Office s liaison between the Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations District Court and RDSS. As such, Ms. Denham serves on multiple inter-agency teams for the Office of the City Attorney, RDSS and the Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court aimed at improving court efficiency, uniformity and outcomes in its child dependency cases. Ms. Denham also participates in regular multiagency meetings that are designed to promote collaboration among the Court s core agencies, including the Court Services Unit, the Commonwealth Attorney s Office, the

3 Office of the Public Defender, Court Appointed Special Advocates and the Division of Child Support Enforcement. Ms. Denham is a member of the National Association of the Counsel for Children and the Local Government Attorneys Association of Virginia. Ms. Denham received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia in 1998 and a Juris Doctor from DePaul University College of Law in Kate Duvall is an attorney at JustChildren, a program of the Legal Aid Justice Center that focuses on improving Virginia s public education, juvenile justice and foster care systems. Duvall joined JustChildren in 2008 after serving as the Hunton & Williams Pro Bono Fellow in Richmond, Virginia for two years. She is a graduate with distinction of the University of Virginia in 2001 and the University of Virginia School of Law in At Just Children, Duval has been involved in statewide policy work pertaining to juvenile justice and representing individual clients in serious juvenile offender review hearings across the state. In 2013, Kate was the recipient of the Carol S. Fox Making Kids Count Award. Lisa Floyd has 18 years' experience as an educator in Virginia. She began her educational career as an instructional assistant, became a middle school math teacher, moved into administration by working as a middle school assistant principal, high school assistant principal, then as an alternative school principal before moving into central office as Director of Testing and Accountability, then Director of Curriculum & Instruction. She currently serves as Deputy Director of Education for the Virginia Department of Juvenile Justice to oversee teaching and learning for incarcerated youth. Dr. Floyd has a B.A. in Elementary Education from Salisbury State University, an M.S. Ed. in Secondary Education from Old Dominion University, and an Ed.D. in Administration & Supervision from the University of Virginia. Sara M. Gaborik is a graduate of the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. After graduating from law school, she went to work for the Richmond Public Defender s Office, where she quickly advanced to the position of Senior Assistant Public Defender. Her many years of service at the Public Defender s Office afforded her the opportunity to work on a multitude of complex, serious cases. Sara has tried cases on matters ranging from shoplifting to first-degree murder. She has obtained successful outcomes that ranged from not-guilty verdicts to a hung jury in a murder where the defendant had made a full confession. Since leaving the Public Defender s Offices, she has established a successful and busy private practice that focuses on passionate, personal service at all levels of criminal courts throughout the Commonwealth.

4 Julie McConnell is an Assistant Clinical Law Professor at the University of Richmond School of Law. She is the Director of the Children s Defense Clinic. Through the clinic, she and her students represent pro bono indigent youths throughout Central Virginia who are charged with acts of delinquency. Previously, she was a prosecutor in the Richmond Commonwealth s Attorney s Office for almost six years and was a supervisor in the Richmond Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court. In that office, she specialized in the prosecution of violent juvenile crimes, domestic violence, elder abuse, and child physical and sexual abuse, and homicide cases. She has prosecuted numerous cases using Virginia s rarely-used elder abuse statute. She is a frequent speaker on the topics of domestic violence, elder abuse, juvenile delinquency, child abuse and sexual abuse. For more than four years, she was part of a multi-disciplinary team funded by the Office on Violence Against Women, which conducted trainings on the successful prosecution of elder abuse for law-enforcement and prosecutors throughout the state. Prior to becoming a prosecutor, McConnell served as an assistant public defender for five years and before that as a law clerk for the Honorable James W. Benton in the Virginia Court of Appeals. Before law school, she worked with the Virginia ACLU and as a community organizer and lobbyist for several not-for-profits in the Virginia General Assembly and taught special education courses at a group home for delinquent youths. She earned her law degree cum laude in 1999 from the University of Richmond School of Law and her undergraduate degree in 1988 from Agnes Scott College, in Decatur, GA. Ashaki McNeil has over fifteen years of experience working in the criminal justice field. She began her career in 1995 working for the Virginia Department of Corrections as a Correctional Officer. In 1997 Ashaki joined Virginia s Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ) as a Juvenile Correctional Officer where she decided on a career in the field of juvenile justice. After leaving DJJ she worked for the Virginia Department of Correctional Education (DCE) as a Substitute Instructor and the Coordinator of the Expressions Art Show, a showcase of art work done by juvenile offenders committed to the Department of Juvenile Justice. Ashaki subsequently joined the Governor s Office for Substance Abuse Prevention, as the Kidsafe Initiative Coordinator. In 2005 Ashaki joined the Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) as a Grants Coordinator to manage the federal funding stream awarded to DCJS to support juvenile justice delinquency prevention and intervention programs. She is currently employed with the Department of Juvenile Justice as the ReEntry Program Manager tasked with managing the development and implementation of a statewide re-entry service delivery system that supports the effective transition of juvenile offenders from commitment to parole and beyond. In addition to her experience in the State s Criminal Justice System, Ashaki has also worked with Intercept Youth Services as a group home counselor for young females. She is best known for her ability to encourage partnerships and collaborations that support the well being of youth. In November 2012, the Virginia Juvenile Justice Association (VJJA) awarded the 2012 Meritorious Service Award in the field of Administration to acknowledge her outstanding leadership practices. Ashaki holds a Bachelors of Science Degree in Criminal Justice.

5 Catherine Mullins, is the Legal Resource Attorney for the Virginia Indigent Defense Commission. Ms. Mullins is a 1999 graduate of Virginia Commonwealth University and a 2004 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. She worked as an Assistant Public Defender in the City of Richmond before starting her own criminal law practice with three other former public defenders. By working as an assistant public defender, guardian ad litem, and attorney in private practice, Ms. Mullins gained invaluable trial and appellate experience in the defense of adults and juveniles. Now, as Resource Counsel, Ms. Mullins is responsible for creating and maintaining resources for public defenders and court appointed attorneys. She is working on developing a library of source material including motions, articles, and other resources. Ms. Mullins also assists in the development of training for attorneys. She is available to answer questions via (cmullins@adm.idc.virginia.gov) or by phone at (804) X 145. Jennifer M. Newman graduated from The Pennsylvania State University with a degree in Administration of Justice. After a few years as a pretrial services officer, Ms. Newman attended and graduated from the T.C. Williams School of Law at the University of Richmond. Upon graduating from law school, Ms. Newman opened her own law firm. Initially, Ms. Newman focused on criminal defense but eventually broadened her practice to include family law and she became qualified as a Guardian ad litem for children and incapacitated adults. Currently, Ms. Newman practices law in the areas of criminal defense for adults, delinquency for juveniles, child welfare, child dependency, and other aspects of family law. Ms. Newman has been a Guardian ad litem for children for over thirteen years and a significant portion of her practice is dedicated to the best interests of children. Deron Phipps has been with the Department of Juvenile Justice since December He first served as the department s Legislative Liaison and then served as the manager of the Department s policy, regulatory, and legislative functions. Deron is now the Department s Policy and Planning Director. He oversees the Legislative and Regulatory Unit, the Research Unit, the Certification Unit and the Ombudsman Unit. Deron is also an Adjunct Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University teaching the class Youth in Corrections since January Prior to coming to the Department of Juvenile Justice, Deron was a Policy and Legislative Consultant for the Virginia Department of Social Services from May 1997 to November Deron was a State Hearing Officer for Child Protective Services in the Virginia Department of Social Services from September 1993 to April Prior to coming to Virginia, Deron was a Juvenile Probation Officer in Indiana and a counselor in a residential facility for emotionally trouble youth in Tennessee. A graduate of Hanover College in 1988, Deron has a J.D. from the University of Richmond T.C. Williams School of Law (1993).

6 Deron, his wife, Bridget, and their children, Maggie and Grace, live in Chesterfield County. Katherine Poindexter graduated from High School in Raleigh, North Carolina and then attended the University of North Carolina at Greensboro seeking a Bachelors Degree in Fine Arts. She later attended North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina where she acquired a Bachelors of Art in Sociology, Magna Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Alpha Kappa Delta, and National Honors Society. Katherine worked her way through College employed as a bail bondsman with Poindexter & Associates, Inc., and through this experience, was first exposed to the criminal justice system. Additionally, during and after her college years, Katherine played in a touring band which traveled extensively throughout the United States, Canada and Europe. From the year 2000 to 2003, Katherine attended law school at the University of Richmond, T. C. Williams School of Law. In her years at University of Richmond, Katherine participated in the Juvenile Delinquency Clinic under the leadership of Kelley Bartges, J.D. interned at Virginia Legal Aid Center in Richmond, Virginia in their Domestic Violence Advocacy Clinic, and tried multiple cases with her 3 rd year practice certificate. Katherine also worked during and after law school, at Jay Tronfeld & Associates (now known as Tronfeld, West & Durrett) and Cannella & Associates. From 2006 to 2010, Katherine worked at the Office of the Public Defender for the City of Richmond. Her final post there was Supervising Assistant Public Defender, where she handled all crimes short of capital murder, supervised less experienced attorneys, law school interns, and worked closely with regional mental health professionals to assist criminal defendants who suffer from mental illness and intellectual disabilities. Since 2010, Katherine has been in private practice, first as a partner with Davenport & Poindexter, P.C. and now as Katherine E. Poindexter, P.C. Areas of practice include criminal defense, juvenile delinquency, family and domestic law, and personal injury. Katherine frequently represents criminal defendants suffering from mental illness and intellectual disability and attempts to coach attorneys on how to navigate the NGRI/MSO process in an effort to improve advocacy for this population. William B. Reichhardt, is the principal in the firm of William B. Reichhardt & Associates in Alexandria, Virginia. He received a B.A. from the University of Virginia (1971); a M.Ed. degree in counseling from the University of Virginia (1976) and a J.D. from George Mason University School of Law (1983). He is admitted to practice in Virginia and Maryland. His current practice areas are now limited to special education and school law. Mr. Reichhardt has handled cases at the trial and all appellate levels of the Virginia State and Federal courts. He has represented parents in special education due process hearings and Federal Court appeals. In August 2006, Mr. Reichhardt was appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Virginia to serve on the Virginia State Bar Professionalism Course Faculty where he served for six years. Bill is a co-author of the Juvenile Law and Practice

7 Handbook published by the Virginia Law Foundation and he has lectured extensively on topics related to school discipline, the rights of children, special education, criminal defense practice in juvenile court, and the laws of child abuse and neglect. He is the 2010 recipient of the Lewis F. Powell Jr. Pro Bono Award bestowed by the Virginia State Bar in recognition of his efforts to provide and support legal advocacy for children. Eric Reynolds is an Assistant Attorney General with the Virginia Office of the Attorney General in Richmond, representing the state Department of Social Services, Office of Comprehensive Services, Department of Medical Assistance Services, and Department of Aging and Rehabilitative Services. Prior to working at the OAG, he was in private practice, primarily in family law, real estate, and serving as a court-appointed guardian ad litem for children in the Metro-Richmond area. He has served on various work groups and panels for the Virginia DSS, the Commission on Youth, The Children's Justice Act/Court Appointed Special Advocate Advisory Board, the Chesterfield Court Improvement Team, and the Chesterfield Head Start Policy Council, and has been a presenter at seminars for Virginia CLE, the Supreme Court of Virginia Court Improvement Program, and Best Practice Courts conferences. He is a graduate of the University of Richmond Law School. Aradhana A. Sood, M.D. FAACAP, Professor of Psychiatry and Pediatrics has just transitioned into the role of Senior Professor of Child Mental Health Policy after holding the position of the Chair of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Medical Director of VTCC at Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA for thirteen years. She completed her MD from India, her residency at University of Missouri in Kansas City and child psychiatry fellowship at Ohio State University and joined VCU in As a clinician she has upwards of 300 active patients and consults with youth in the juvenile justice system. Her special interests are in the training of an adequate work force in child mental health, mental health policy, reduction of stigma around mental health issues, outcomes research, Mood disorders and ADHD. She is specifically focused on ways of providing optimal mental health care to the children of Virginia, focusing on innovation of technology such as telemedicine to bring such care to rural areas of the State. She is a 2002 Fellow of the Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (ELAM) through Drexel University, and completed a Masters of Science in Health Administration in May 2006 from the Health Administration Program at VCU. She has served on the SOM admissions committee, faculty awards committee, COSOWAM, special faculty awards committee, presidential task force on campus safety and Psychiatry P&T committee. She served as the president of WISDM from 2003 to She served on the national Residency Review Committee for Psychiatry from 2003 to She has advocated for initiatives of the VA Council of Child Psychiatry and has lobbied for the Academy of Child Psychiatry s Work Force initiative in D.C. and nationally. She serves on two statewide initiatives for Systems of Care reform in child mental health & Early Intervention programs in Virginia and champions involvement of families in the development of child mental health policy. She was elected as Councilor at large for the American Academy of Child Psychiatry s (AACAP) Executive Council in 2005 for a three

8 year term and is now secretary of AACAP. She was appointed by Governor Warner to the State Board of Social Services, and served 8 year term from June 2005 to She was chair of the Virginia State Board of Social Services. She was in the 2006 class for LEAD Virginia. She was appointed by Governor Tim Kaine as the mental health expert to the blue ribbon panel that investigated the VA Tech massacre of She received the YWCA award for women in sciences in 2007, the Professional Achievement award from WISDM in 2007 and the VCU University Distinguished Service Award in 2008 and the Heroes in the Fight Award from Lilly for distinguished work in child mental health. She has been on the peer voted Best Doctors list for Richmond and the US from 1996 onwards to Jeree Thomas, joined the JustChildren Program of the Legal Aid Justice Center in the fall of 2011 as a Skadden Fellow. She currently represents students with special education needs and incarcerated youth experiencing education and treatment issues. Jeree received her B.A. from the College of William & Mary in 2008 where she majored in Social Justice & Community Advocacy. She received her law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law in 2011 where she was inducted into the Raven Society and was the recipient of the James C. Slaughter Award which recognizes one outstanding member of the graduating class. Jeree is a member of the Virginia State Bar and serves on the Young Lawyers Division Commission for Women & Minorities in the Profession. She also serves as the Chair of Madison House Board of Directors, a non-profit that coordinates over 3,000 UVA student volunteers. Kate Todryk is an Assistant Public Defender in Virginia for the city of Franklin and the counties of Southampton and Isle of Wight. Prior to joining the Franklin Office of the Public Defender, she was an Assistant Public Defender in Richmond, Virginia, and an Assistant Commonwealth s Attorney in Newport News. Kathryn is an active member of the Virginia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, and zealously advocates for the rights of all those charged with crimes, but has a particular interest in juvenile justice and mental health. Kathryn assisted in founding the mental health docket in Richmond's General District Court. She is the author of "On Professionalism, Civility & Discovery," in the American University Criminal Law Practitioner. She is a proud alumna of D.C. Law Students in Court, Criminal Division, which she credits with giving her the encouragement to commit her life to public defense and juvenile justice advocacy. Ms. Todryk is an honors graduate of both The George Washington University Law School, and Loyola University Chicago. Adrienne Volenik received her B.A. from Marietta College and her J.D. from the University of Maryland. Her career has been devoted to advocating on behalf of children. She is a former director of the American Bar Association s Juvenile Justice Project and was an attorney with the St. Louis office of the National Center for Youth

9 Law. Before practicing law, she was a public school teacher. She currently directs the Education Rights Clinic at the University of Richmond s Law School and served for six years as the Acting Director of its National Center for Family Law. She is a member of the Richmond, Virginia area Trauma Informed Community Network where she serves as co-chair of the Education Workforce Development Subcommittee. She also consults with state and local groups about issues that impact children and serves as a resource for organizations that support parents of children with disabilities.