PbS

Akin is the Deputy Executive Director of the PbS Learning Institute. He was the PbS Implementation Director and Coach. As Implementation Director, Akin led the development of the PbS Candidacy program, the first year of participation that provides intensive training and technical assistance to ensure new participants start with a solid foundation for the PbS continuous data collection and reporting cycle. He oversaw the expansion of the PbS program to new jurisdictions, about 45 states so far. As a PbS Coach, Akin provides expert advice and constant encouragement to participating agencies and facilities to understand and maximize the benefits of PbS’ data-driven improvement model.

Prior to joining the PbS team, he served as the Assistant Deputy Commissioner of the Division of Juvenile Justice Services, Department of Human Services of the City of Philadelphia, PA. He was responsible for new program development and enhancement, and compliance with the City’s court consent decree on improvement at the detention center. He was Special Assistant at Youth Services Administration, Department of Human Services Washington, DC. Akin assisted the Administrator in the overall management of the agency and compliance with the City’s court consent decree to effect improvement in the juvenile justice system. He has worked in several spheres of public management and administration both in the United States and Nigeria. Akin has a Master’s of Public Administration (MPA) degree and a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Public Administration and Political Science from Northeastern University, Boston, MA.

Karl joined the PbS coaching team in 2017 after a fulfilling 32 year career with the Connecticut Judicial Branch. He is an expert in the field of juvenile detention; including program design and evaluation, construction, operational and healthcare accreditation standards; and juvenile justice reform efforts. Karl has dedicated his life to improving the lives of adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system by providing technical assistance to agencies across the United States. Until 2017 Karl was responsible for managing the operations of the Judicial Branch Juvenile Residential Services Unit which included: high secure state juvenile detention facilities, a continuum of contracted Community Residential Programs, and a statewide Central Transportation Unit.

Karl has extensive knowledge and understanding of trauma-informed service, gender responsive programming, and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) standards. He has presented trauma research at national healthcare conferences, and played an integral role in the development and implementation of Connecticut legislation; including the Raise the Age Initiative (2010), and passage of the Juvenile Justice Policy and Oversight Committee recommendations to continue juvenile justice reform in Connecticut (2016). He has traveled to Arkhangelsk, Russia where he presented on trauma research to faculty, students and researchers.

Karl has served as Vice President for the National Detention Association and serves on the Connecticut Juvenile Training School Advisory Board to the Commissioner of the Department of Children and Families.

Joyce Burrell joined the PbS coaching team in 2015, having worked in the juvenile justice field for more than twenty-five years. Joyce has led significant juvenile justice reform initiatives and provided technical assistance to many agencies in the United States, especially those interested in implementing reform, improving performance and integrating mental health and trauma informed services in traditional correctional models of care. Joyce has served as project director on national, state and local initiatives and has worked for federal, state, city government and the private sector. Before going into private consulting, Joyce served as a principal researcher at the American Institutes for Research, where she directed the OJJDP State Training and Technical Assistance Center within the Human and Social Development Program and previously the National Evaluation and Technical Assistance Center for the Education of Children Who are Neglected or Delinquent (NDTAC) and served as the juvenile justice senior advisor supporting grantees through the TA Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health. Joyce served as the Deputy Commissioner of the New York State Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS) and directed the Division of Juvenile Justice and Opportunities for Youth (DJJOY), where she introduced and implemented PbS, trauma-focused care, supported the implementation of several evidence-based treatment interventions, while supporting a team in developing a comprehensive model of mental health care for children and youth in New York facilities and all of the community offices in the juvenile system. She did similar work at the local level in Philadelphia and Washington, DC.

Lois provides guidance and support to sites and agencies as they move toward improvements in conditions of confinement for youths and work environment for staff. Prior to her work as a PbS Coach, Lois worked in various community, institution, and central office positions at South Carolina Department of Juvenile Justice (SCDJJ) including, agency coordinator for PbS and Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) compliance; institutional program support administrator with oversight responsibility of activity therapy, chaplain services, youth industries and work programs, and volunteer services; community regional administrator with responsibility for county Intake, probation, and parole/aftercare services; associate deputy director for policy and planning with oversight of strategic planning and evaluation, research and statistics, grants, and program design and implementation.

Lois has a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in business administration from Voorhees College and a Master of Education (M.Ed.) degree in rehabilitation counseling from the University of South Carolina.

Russ has a career spanning 36 years of work in the field of criminal and juvenile justice. Russ has served as a deputy sheriff, director of the Southwest Kansas Regional Juvenile Detention Center, district magistrate judge in the 25th Judicial District of Kansas and as the Kansas Commissioner of Juvenile Justice. Russ has also been involved in numerous community and professional boards and organizations including service as a member of Kansas state boards that include: Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, Sex Offender Policy Board, Substance Abuse Policy Board, Youth Authority and the Advisory Group on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Russ has received recognition for his work in the field of juvenile justice as the 2009 recipient of the Distinguished Service to Kansas Children award, Kansas Children’s Service League, 2009 Administrator of the Year, Council of Juvenile Corrections Administrators and the 2010 Alumnus of the Year Award from Leadership Kansas, a program of the Kansas Chamber of Commerce. Russ is a graduate of Friends University, Wichita, Kansas where he earned a BS degree in Human Resource Management.

Al Lick has served as PbS Coach for the past 4 1/2 years. Al served as the director of the Division of Juvenile Services for over 20 years; from 1986-2006.

Al was a member of the original group who, through the direction and funding of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, created the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators. He served as the president of that organization from 1998-2000. Al was selected as Director of the Year in 2000. After retirement in 2006, Al served as an advisor, investigator and consultant for several states and other agencies.

Dan joined the PbS coaching team in 2016, continuing a career in juvenile justice of over 37 years. Dan started his career working with Hispanic youth in a community based organization in Utah. This work involved residential and outpatient models that served as alternatives to secure confinement.

Dan left this agency to take a position with the state Juvenile Court system as a manager developing treatment and intervention program models. This work then led to his becoming the Deputy Director of Utah’s Youth Correction system, the Division of Juvenile Justice Services. After serving in this capacity for several years, he was then appointed as the Director, and served for over 6 years.

When he left government service, he continued work in juvenile services becoming the CEO of Cornerstone Programs Corp. This private entity provides detention, supervision and treatment programs for juveniles.

As part of his career in juvenile justice, he has served on numerous local, State, and national public policy committees and commissions. Included in these activities were testimony to a congressional subcommittee on Children, Youth, and Families (ACYF), and a policy analysis paper on Disproportionate Minority Confinement.

Dan has a Bachelors degree in Psychology and did graduate work in Educational Psychology.

Aaron McCorkle has served as a PbS coach for many agencies across the country since 2006. Aaron spent thirty years with the South Carolina Juvenile Detention Center and retired as superintendent, facility administrator and coordinator of General Detention Services. He has participated successfully in PbS since the Fall of 2000, resulting in 25 data collections and analysis.

From Coast to Coast, Aaron has visited a plethora of facilities now participating (or previously participating) in PbS, engaged in ongoing reviews for many Facility Improvement Plans, and conducted conference calls with sites to review their data collection practices, as well as provided presentations on each sites' Performance Profile.

As an active participant in PbS for more than 12 years, Aaron been involved in establishing work that includes:

Janice began her career with the Illinois Department of Corrections, Juvenile Division in 1979 as a youth supervisor at a coeducational youth center. Through her 32 years of service to the staff and youths of Illinois, Janice served in multiple positions including counselor, casework supervisor, reception administrator, assistant superintendent, superintendent, and acting deputy director of program services. Janice retired from the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice in 2010.

Janice implemented Performance-based Standards in the states 8 youth centers where she served as the Agency Coordinator. Additionally, Janice initiated and implemented standardized reception and classification procedures throughout the state, implemented gender specific programming at the 2 female youth centers, and began the implementation of the state's behavior management programming.

Janice's commitment to improving conditions of confinement for youths and work environment for staff was recognized when she began working for Performance-based Standards in February 2012 as the Coach for the state of Alaska. Janice has a BS Degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Wisconsin. Janice has been married for 31 years and has two terrific sons. Janice derives great satisfaction from gardening and trying new recipes!