Dave Gaspar, President Consultant, Former Director, Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections Dave Gaspar has 30 years of senior level public sector administrative experience in criminal justice and behavioral health systems. He has held key leadership roles in both Arizona state government and the non-profit sector. As the Deputy Director and then Director of the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections, he led critical reform measures that successfully ended a five-year consent decree which resulted from a class-action lawsuit against the State. As the COO of a comprehensive mental health organization, Dave served at a time of significant changes in the delivery of services. His tenure with the adult corrections system of Arizona included positions as Assistant Director for Institutions, Staff Development Administrator, and Diagnostic Center Administrator. Dave began his professional career as a high school guidance counselor. In 2001 Dave received one of five national awards offered by the National Academy of Public Administration. He served as the President of the Council of Juvenile Corrections Administrators for three years. He currently serves as a member of the Board of Governors of the American Corrections Association.

Sarah Peterson Maxwell, Ph.D., NAYSC Founder Sarah Maxwell holds a Ph.D. in public policy from George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia. Dr. Maxwell is the Founder of NAYSC and a Lecturer in the School of Public Administration and Policy, Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. Prior to moving to Arizona, Sarah taught in the Administration of Justice Program, Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University. She also worked for the Home Builders Institute (HBI) in Washington, DC under a number of federal and state grants. While at HBI, Sarah organized a joint task force between the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Department of Justice to study promising employment practices for court-involved youth. She has also worked as a consultant, most recently for the National Youth Employment Coalition (NYEC) under a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation and for Maximus. During this time, she co-authored a number of reports and a book chapter in an edited Sage Publications volume. Dr. Maxwell's passion for working in the youth development field inspired her to create NAYSC. She currently resides in Tucson, Arizona with her husband of twelve years and her two children.

Collie Brown Collie Brown is an independent consultant, returning to the U.S. after advising Iraq's new government on correctional health care.  Mr. Brown previously worked for REA.  He was formerly  the Assistant Director of the National GAINS Center in Delmar, New York where he managed the delivery of technical assistance to states and localities to assist them to develop and implement integrated services for adults and juveniles with mental health and substance use disorders involved at the various points of contact within the criminal justice system. During his tenure with the GAINS Center, he coordinated and provided technical assistance to criminal justice agencies and communities to address issues such as housing, employment, system integration and other issues affecting offenders. He has served on several federal grant review panels and continues to work with federal and state policy makers and other national associations to advocate for consistent national and state responses to juvenile and adult offenders and the impact of their returning to communities. Mr. Brown has consulted with numerous organizations and communities across the country on various issues that affect adults and juveniles involved in the justice system. His work has given special attention to developing strategies and interventions for special populations in the justice system such as women and female adolescents and persons of color. Mr. Brown spent several years with New York State Commission of Corrections evaluating the operations and management of police lockups, county jails and jail prisons and providing technical assistance to corrections administrators. He has also evaluated medical and mental health care delivery to inmates in county jail, police lockups and state prisons and has delivered training to corrections and police personnel. He has conducted mortality investigations of custodial deaths in the same facilities. During his tenure with New York, he also served as the Co-Manager for the state's Jail/Prison Suicide Prevention/Crisis Intervention Program in addition to working with local jurisdictions to develop community partnerships addressing the gaps between criminal justice and behavioral health. Mr. Brown received his Batchelor of Arts in Sociology from Delaware State University in 1985. In February 2003, he was inducted into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame for his accomplishments in track and field.

Doug Dodge Mr. Dodge of the TATC Consulting is Co-Project Director of the Youth Offender Technical Assistance Project: Round Three. In addition, Mr. Dodge is currently the Site Facilitator of Asian American Drug Abuse Program's (AADAP) Youth Offender Demonstration Project in Los Angeles, California. He has over 36 years of experience in criminal and juvenile justice as a defense attorney and at the national level in policy, program development, and grant management for at risk youth and youth offenders. Mr. Dodge is the former Director of the Discretionary Programs Division of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), U.S. Department of Justice. He was directly responsible for the design and development of discretionary grant programs for Juvenile Restitution and Community Service, the Intensive Aftercare Program, the Violent Juvenile Offender Intervention Program, and the National Juvenile Defenders Training and Technical Assistance Program. During his tenure at OJJDP he also managed several training and technical assistance grants in support of discretionary grant programs. He led OJJDP's development of interagency programs with the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the U.S. Department of Education, as well as, the jointly sponsored effort of OJJDP and the U.S. Department of Labor for the Task Force on Employment and Training of Court Involved Youth. Mr. Dodge, an attorney has a B.A. from Western Michigan University and a J.D. from Wayne State University.

Kerry Knodle Executive Director, Comprehensive Community Solutions Rockford, Illinois Kerry Knodle, Executive Director and Founder of Comprehensive Community Solutions, Inc., has extensive experience in administration, strategic planning, case management, counseling and interagency programming with youth. Since founding CCS, Inc. in 1992, Mr. Knodle and the agency have been extensively involved in housing and community development activities, both as a Community Housing Development Organization, and as an operator of the successful YouthBuild AmeriCorps program. Since 1994, the agency has served over 300 out-of-school youth, built or renovated 64 units of affordable housing, and is involved in a variety of major housing and other community development projects. Mr. Knodle previously served as a Senior Juvenile Probation Officer for Winnebago County for 12 years and was instrumental in the implementation of a community-based counseling program for Juvenile Sex Offenders for the Winnebago County Juvenile Court. He has served on the Criminal Justice Advisory Board of Rockford College, the Criminal Justice Fact Finding Committee and was appointed in 1994 by the Mayor of Rockford to serve as Co-Chair of the Mayor's Blueprint Task Force on Public Safety. Serving in these capacities, he has co-authored three major long range planning studies that have greatly benefited youth and adults in Rockford. Mr. Knodle currently serves as Secretary-Treasurer of the National Director's Council of the YouthBuild USA Affiliated Network, as a member of the YouthBuild USA Policy Council, and as a member of their Development and Technology Committees. He also serves as President of the Illinois YouthBuild Coalition, Inc., overseeing the first state coalition to become incorporated under the YouthBuild umbrella. He is currently President of the Rockford Area Affordable Housing Coalition, and a member of the National City Community Development Association Advisory Board. In addition, Mr. Knodle is a member of the Executive Board of the National Youth Employment Coalition, and has served as a reviewer, workshop presenter and member of the Working Group for PEPNET, a part of NYEC. Mr. Knodle has served on the faculty of Southern Illinois University in the Administration of Justice Department, teaching courses in criminal justice and advising the student association. He holds a Master of Science in Administration of Justice from Southern Illinois University and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Sociology from Luther College. He has been a percussionist with the Rockford Symphony Orchestra since 1982, and is active in civic affairs.

Lane Roos Lane Roos is a candidate for a Ph.D. in organizational psychology at Walden University. His primary area of interest is in preparing at-risk youth to enter the world of work and his doctoral dissertation measures the effects of career development programs on employment and recidivism rates among juvenile offenders. Lane has worked in the area of workforce development for more than 25 years. He started his career at the Gary Job Corps Center in San Marcos, Texas and has worked in a number of employment and training programs; including CETA, JTPA and other local community based programs. He is the director of workforce development programs at the Texas Youth Commission (TYC). His responsibilities include management of Project RIO-Y, the prison industries enhancement program (PIE), vocational programs and the development of workforce development initiatives at TYC facilities and in the aftercare arena. Lane also teaches graduate courses in Counseling at Prairie View A&M University.

Dennis Torbett Dennis Torbett is a Vice President with the Home Builders Institute (HBI), the workforce development arm of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB). Mr. Torbett has over 20 years experience in workforce development, training and employment initiatives. As an HBI National Coordinator for Placement, Mr. Torbett was responsible for placing over 700 youth into career progressive employment in the residential construction trades. At HBI he is responsible for the development, management and operations of construction skills training programs for the residential construction industry. Through agreements with local, state and federal governments, private sector entities and home builder associations, these programs train and place individuals with employers in the home building industry.

Testimonials

Since becoming members of NAYSC, we have been very impressed with Sarah Maxwell [NAYSC's Founder]. In a time when many businesses have become very impersonal, Sarah is a breath of fresh air. Not only is she well informed and very skilled professionally, but her personal touch has helped us to feel welcomed, included and valued as NAYSC members. Whether it is an email or a phone conversation, it becomes quickly apparent that Sarah is for real. She cares about the people she works with and about making NAYSC the best it can be. In a business where strangers can come together to share information, form alliances and partnerships, there needs to be someone at the center who is an effective facilitator. This describes Sarah Maxwell to a T. It is easy to see why NAYSC is growing. -- David and Myra Vandy Hope Journeys My career in youth development has taken me from agency-based staff positions to my current role as an independent consultant. Over the last 25 years, I've never found a resource that addresses both the needs of agencies and consultants, until I found NAYSC. What a fabulous discovery! The website is an invaluable tool not only for linking agencies and consultants, but for providing pathways to other resources and networks that all of us in youth development need. I know we're all busy and have many priorities to which we need to respond. I hope you'll find the time to really peruse the website and all it has to offer. And take a look at the staff and board member profiles. What an impressive pool of talent! Christine A. Ameen, Ed.D. Ameen Consulting & Associates, LLC ameenca@ameenconsulting.com NAYSC fills a void in the youth development community that has been lacking for a long time. The Home Builders Institute (HBI) provides technical assistance in trades training for youth and other populations, but we also utilize the skills of independent consultants and technical assistance providers. We finally have a place where both of these needs can be addressed at a very affordable price. I personally like that the site is easy to use and I can search for consultants by geographic area, daily rate, and other attributes. For a national organization such as ours, this is a very helpful tool. To top it off, NAYSC's customer service is unsurpassed. Dennis Torbett, VP, HBI The NAYSC is a powerful resource. The services you offer members saves valuable time and money. You have been extraordinarily responsive to my requests and very generous in sharing information. The NAYSC has played a significant role in helping me to achieve my dream and the dreams of organizations who can now access a wealth of expertise at their fingertips. Thanks again Sarah...You really are a gem. Cheryl Honey, Excel Strategies, Inc. Just wanted to know that we love your website and really appreciate the updates. Keep up the good work!! -- Susan Ladner, JS&R Group, New York, NY 10036