National Juvenile Services Virtual Leadership Institute 

The NPJS Leadership Institute is going virtual. The Leadership Institute Planning Committee has selected specific workshops from the Leadership Institute Conference agenda and asked the presenter to consider transforming their workshop into a webinar format to meet the learning parameters of our new environments.  We are excited about the response. 

The Faces of Leadership Summer/Fall Series of webinars were specifically selected under the theme:  Developing and maintaining a healthy and thriving CULTURE. Specific to our secure environments, leaders and staff together accomplish this through a PACT of Professionalism, Accountability, Climate, and creating Trauma-responsive environments.

Each webinar in this 4-part series focuses on an element of that PACT and is a unique learning event including multiple activities for the participant to engage in.  Each two-hour session includes:

• a special message from NPJS Leadership,
• a message of inspiration or affirmation from the Faces of Leadership around the country,
• the one-hour training experience outlined in the information below,
• access to chat rooms for new/emerging leaders & veteran leaders where trained facilitators will lead application discussion of the information provided in the training portion of the webinar, and  
• invitation and access to Happy Hour one week following the webinar session to network and discuss transfer of learning topics from the previous week’s training session.

Register today for the Faces of Leadership Summer/Fall Webinar Series.

(Note:  due to scheduling issues, please note the order of the sessions do not follow the order of the PACT acronym) 

P  PROFESSIONALISM 

Chris Ellison, Director, Texas Juvenile Justice Training Academy
Texas Juvenile Justice Department, Austin TX

Developing and Maintaining an Ethical Work Environment
Professionalism is built on ethics and is the core of a healthy culture and effective teams.  When the culture in your agency isn’t what you want it to be, changing it by raising expectations for the professional and ethical behavior of your team can be a difficult task.  Participants attending this webinar will receive information on strategies to change a culture and build strong ethical teams.  In addition, the presenter will provide information regarding the pitfalls associated with failing to respond to an unethical/unprofessional environment. 

Chris Ellison has worked for Texas Juvenile Justice Department (TJJD) for six years and is currently the Director of Training. Prior to coming to TJJD he worked for a private provider running both long-term juvenile treatment facilities and juvenile detention facilities.  Chris received his Bachelors degree from Texas A&M University and his Masters in Criminal Justice from University of Cincinnati.  He has spent over twenty-seven years working with at-risk youth in a variety of settings.

Date of Session:  July 15, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST
Date of Happy Hour:  July 22, 3:00 pm EST

A   ACCOUNTABILITY

Mel Brown, Ph.D., President/CEO
Mel Brown & Associates, Conroe TX

Creating a Culture of Accountability
Unfortunately, most people view accountability as something that belittles them or happens when performance wanes, problems develop, or results fail to materialize. Leaders who effectively develop a culture of accountability develop an approach to accountability that paves the road to success rather than one that provides an excuse for failure. During this webinar, participants will:

1. Review the definition of culture and ways to create or change an organization’s culture,
2. Focus on developing a culture of accountability by examining the elements and the four pillars of accountability and following 6 steps to building an accountability culture
3. Understand both the consequences of failing to confront poor staff performance as well as the positive results of creating a culture of accountability.

Mel Brown is nationally recognized professional in the criminal and juvenile justice fields as an administrator, teacher, trainer, consultant and author. After a successful career working for governmental agencies, he left the public sector in 2006 to form his own consulting company which focuses on equipping individuals and organizations to achieve their visions, missions and goals.

Dr. Brown:

• is a John Maxwell Certified trainer, coach and speaker;
• has served as President of the Conroe Independent School District Board of Trustees which has 68 campuses, more than 65,000 students and approximately 8,000 employees;
• has served as an adjunct faculty member in the Criminal Justice Department at the University of Texas at Arlington, in the College of Criminal Justice at Sam Houston State University, in the Social Work Department of the School of Religious Education at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and in the College of Juvenile Justice and Psychology at Prairie View A&M University;
• served as a member of the Commission on Accreditation for Corrections;
• has provided expert testimony in court cases as well as before committees of the U.S. Senate, the Texas Senate and the Texas House of Representatives;
• served on the Texas Governor’s Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee during the terms of Republican Governor William P. Clements and Democratic Governor Ann Richards;
• served as a consultant on the congressionally mandated Study of Conditions of Confinement of Juveniles
• is a recipient of the National Juvenile Detention Association’s “Don Hammergren Award for Outstanding Contributions to the field of Juvenile Detention”;
• is a recipient of the Texas Probation Association’s Charles W. Hawkes Life-Time Achievement Award and
• did his doctoral dissertation on A Delphi Examination of the Staff Development Needs of Child-Care Workers in Juvenile Detention Facilities in the State of Texas and it served as the basis the Texas Juvenile Probation Commission’s development of curriculum for the training of juvenile detention personnel.

An avid learner, he earned five academic degrees, including a doctorate and three masters degrees. His graduate studies are reflective of his diverse interests and include courses in the fields of education, criminal justice, social work, theology, psychology, counseling and administration.

Date of Session:  September 16, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST
Date of Happy Hour:  September 23, 3:00 pm EST

C   CLIMATE & CULTURE

Dr. Jeffrey Ralph, Regional Director
JusticeWorks Family of Services

They Don’t Even Care Anymore!  Identifying a Toxic Organizational Climate and Steps to Improve It
This session will discuss the purpose and steps needed to look at the overall climate and culture of an organization or team of employees.  Topics will include methods to identify a toxic climate and culture, ways to garner feedback from team members, and a discussion on potential solutions to these issues.  The structure of this forum will include a PowerPoint to guide the session, but a portion will be open dialogue with the participants in the group.  

Jeffrey Ralph, Ed.D - Jeff has held various positions within the field of Juvenile Justice, Corrections, and Higher Education. The majority of his time has been spent working in the juvenile justice system, overseeing different programs, ranging from residential to community-based programs, as well alternative education schools. Currently, Jeff oversees community-based operations in Southeastern Pennsylvania, working with Juvenile Probation, Department of Corrections, Child Welfare, and the Department of Education.  Jeff also serves on subcommittees for education and leadership for the National Partnership of Juvenile Services. He holds a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in Administration of Justice, both from Shippensburg University. Jeff obtained his Doctor of Education at Wilmington University, studying Organizational Leadership and Innovation, and his dissertation focused on Restorative Justice. Jeff’s expertise has been recognized by his appointment as an adjunct professor in the Criminal Justice department at both Wilmington University (Delaware) and Eastern University (Pennsylvania).

Date of Session:  October 21, 2-4 EST
Date of Happy Hour:  Oct 28, 3 EST

T  TRAUMA-RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENT

Richard Gentry, Director
Ingham County Youth Center, Lansing MI

Creating a Healthy, Nurturing, Trauma Responsive Environment
A secure environment can be a traumatizing experience for many youths triggered by locked doors, security cameras, handcuffs, leg irons, metal detectors, strip searches and the many other aspects of secure facilities.  These triggers can lead to highly dysregulating (the inability to effectively manage and respond to an emotional experience) responses and heightened degrees of anxiety and stress which oftentimes cause youths to develop a fight or flight mentality. Emotional dysregulation plays a major role in a youth’s inability to follow basic instructions, redirects, developing pro-social skills and achieving academically.

The good news is leaders in juvenile justice can mitigate some of the traumatizing factors associated with a secure environment with the knowledge of strategies and techniques to reduce these environmental triggers in an effort to regulate youth (and staff) and the will to implement them.

Participants in this webinar will be introduced to some practical regulation techniques such as mindfulness, meditation, aroma therapy and essential oils, therapy dogs, yoga, stress balls, kinetic sand, weighted blankets, music, painting and other strategies that will compliment behavior management programs in secure facilities from an administrator who has “walked the talk.” 

Richard Gentry is the founder of Strategic Interventions L.L.C., established to provide support and assistance to agencies and organizations in the field of juvenile justice, child welfare and education.  He holds a Bachelor’s Degree from Michigan State University and a Master’s from Spring Arbor University in Family Studies with an emphasis on Cognitive Behavioral Intervention.  

Richard is the current director of the Ingham County Youth Center – a short term high secure detention center in Lansing Michigan. The Ingham County Youth Center has been highlighted in national juvenile justice expert Dr. David Roush’s book “Recalibrating Juvenile Detention” as an exemplary detention facility in the country. In addition, Social Work Today magazine has recognized the Ingham County Youth Center as a premier facility nationally that incorporates the social cognitive theory, relationship building and trauma interventions to regulate youths.  He also serves as an associate professor at Lansing Community College where he teaches classes in juvenile justice.

Richard is the current president of the Michigan Juvenile Detention Association (MJDA) and has served on the Critical Issues Committee with the National Partnership for Juvenile Services (NPJS). He serves on the board of directors for Redemption, a non-profit 501(c) (3) organization that focus on serving at-risk individuals through a variety of targeted interventions. Richard has a heart for equipping front-line staff to maximize their potential as juvenile justice practitioners and future leaders.

Date of Session:  August 19, 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm EST
Date of Happy Hour:  August 26, 3:00 pm EST

VIRTUAL INSTITUTE REGISTRATION FEES (please click register now to see additional details)

Developing and Maintaining an Ethical Work Environment
Creating a Culture of Accountability
They Don’t Even Care Anymore!  Identifying a Toxic Organizational Climate and Steps to Improve It
Creating a Healthy, Nurturing, Trauma Responsive Environment

RATE: $35 per webinar or take the entire series for $100