Texas Youth Commission

TxD TEXAS STATE Y200.6 J826 96/03 NON-CI RCU LATI NG DOCUMENTS CO.u MTlON Texas Youth Commission March 1996, Spring Issue 4900 N. Lamar, Austin, TX 78751 News and information from throughout the agency. 96-3 37 JUN061996 'Victory Field' to open September 1 Work underway to renovate TXMHMR facilityin Vernon i this issue: for TYC to open September 1 DeGerolami named onstruction is underway at the Harrison, who has been with TYC 14 Giddings superintendent Mental Health/Mental Retardation years, began as a youth activity supervisor Story on page 3. facility in Vernon for the Youth Com- at the Brownwood State School. He served mission to open the "Victory Field" Correc- as program administrator at the Statewide 1996 priorities identified tional Academy September 1, 1996, for 300 Reception Center before going to the Boot youth. Camp. Story on page 4. Lemuel (Chip) Harrison, commandant He holds a bachelor's degree in busi- at the TYC Boot Camp in Sheffield, has been ness administration from Tarleton State Management & Support named superintendent of the new TYC pro- University. He previously worked as a de- update gram. Staffing for other positions will be- tention officer for the Immigration Service, department gin in June. Harrison began as program as an active military policeman for four Story on page 11. administrator for the TYC Boot Camp in years, and as a drill instructor in the Texas Sheffield in November, 1994, and opened Army National Guard for four years. the program officially in February of 1995. Inmate labor is being used to convert The program was the first of its kind run by the Vernon buildings, according to David TYC and was patterned after the Sgt. Henry McCafferty, TYC/TDCJ construction pro- Johnson Youth Leadership Program in New gram manager. York State. (continued on page 3.) IN THIS ISSUE San Saba State School opens Volunteer award winners........... 6 e first eleven youth to be placed at manager. GED's emphasized.......................16 the new San Saba State School ar- The state school currently has 120 rived February 5. Eleven additional employees with an additional interview fair TYC/TJPC joint planning ............. 17 youth have arrived weekly, with the popu- having been held the first weekend in lation on March 7 totaling 55. March. Project RIO-Y................................17 Lydia Barnard serves as superinten- All students at San Saba have been dent at the San Saba facility - a renovated placed from the Marlin Orientation and SECTIONS Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison Assessment Unit to complete the final which was transferred to the Youth Com- Around TYC...............................2 stages of their resocialization program be- mission. fore being transferred to special treatment Volunteers................................... 5 Other key staff members include programs, such as the capital offender pro- Human Resources ....................... 11 Donald Brooks, assistant superintendent; gram, a sex offender program or a chemical Programs ...................................... 16 Nina Wiggins-Smith, academic school prin- dependency program. Cultural Events..............................18 cipal; Deborah Gillenwaters, human re- Total population at San Saba will be Youth Spotlight .............................. 19 sources officer; and Riede Myrick, business 356. S U OF NT LEP. .I ARiES 76203 2 JOURNAL 2 TYCTVC JOURNAL Study recommends merging staff for TYC, TJPC study concerning the feasibility of merging several administrative functions of the Youth Commission and the Juvenile Probation Commission was completed in January. The study, mandated by the 1995 Gen- eral Appropriations Bill passed by the Leg- AROUND islature, specifically addressed the feasibil- TYC ity of merging the administrative functions of training, research, and management information systems (MIS). The recommendation was for the Youth New administrators announced Commission and the Juvenile Probation Commission to share, when appropriate, olleen Waring has been named direc- training, research and MIS (computer) gram administratorBrooks, who hasof York served House as pro- in tor of internal audit by the TYC Board Donald staffs, and for the level of cooperation be- Corpus Christi since July, 1995, has been effective February 12, 1996. tween the two agencies to be increased. selected assistant superintendent of the Waring, formerly employed with the In addition to TYC and TJPC agency San Saba State School beginning April 1. City of Austin, began her employment with staff who collaborated to produce the re- Brooks previously served as director Austin in 1986 as editor and office man- port, the agencies used the expertise of sev- of operations at Cottrell House, Dallas. Prior ager, and most recently served as auditor eral county probation department represen- to that he was a juvenile services officer in and auditor manager. tatives. Shreveport, Louisiana, and director of Joy A graduate of Oklahoma City Univer- A representative from the Texas Pro- House in Greenwood, Louisiana. sity, Waring is a certified internal auditor. bation Training Academy at Sam Houston He holds a master's degree in criminal She replaced Jim Cannedy, who resigned in State University also participated in the for- justice from Grambling State University and November. a bachelor's degree in psychology/sociol- mulation of the recommendations contained ogy from Millsaps College. D direct line supervisory authority has in the study. The Joint Board Subcommittee of TYC Brooks was named the agency's out- been assigned to Tom Tye, Chief of and TJPC approved the report January 22. standing regional employee last year. Halfway Houses, by Deputy Executive Di- rector Sandy Burnam. The change was The boards of each agency later approved corrections made to facilitate standardization of half- the report and on January 25, it was sent to Wallace, community A supervisorlien for the North Region since way house program procedures, support Governor George W. Bush, Lt. Governor Bob 1988, was selected as assistant superinten- services activities, and to consolidate man- Bullock and Speaker of the House Pete dent of the Jefferson County State School, agement responsibility. Laney. and assumed his duties there March 1. Staff of the two agencies have begun ew superintendent for Valley House is Wallace began his employment with N to implement the recommendations con- Maria Salinas, who has over seven TYC in 1975 as a caseworker at Gainesville. tained in this report. q years experience working with the delin- He later became director of security there. In 1985 he became a parole officer in the quent population and managing residen- programs. North Region, serving the rural and metro tial Salinas, who assumed her duties Feb- areas before being named parole supervisor in 1988. ruary 1, 1996, has a BA in psychology and an MA in interdisciplinary studies from In- He also served as regional ACA ac- Briefly noted ... creditation coordinator. Wallace holds a carnate Word College in San Antonio. bachelor's degree in sociology and politi- aurie Westfall, who was employed at * Three West Region office staff mem- cal science from Austin College, Sherman, Turman House from 1982-1988, has been bers were recently awarded tenure and has completed graduate courses at named superintendent of Ayres House in plaques for their service to TYC by re- Central Missouri State University and at San Antonio. Westfall holds a B.S. from gional director Alex Escarcega. .They North Texas State University. He is also a the University of Iowa and an MSSW from were Benny Martinez, 15 years; licensed social worker (LSW). the University of Texas, Austin. Normando Amaya and Elda Arrieta, (continued on page 3.) 5 years. 3 TVC JOURNALANJOURNAL 'Victory Fiel" Stan DeGerolami (continuedfrom page 1) named Giddings The Texas Legislature, in House Bill ";. superintendent ty. 2278, authorized the Texas Board of Mental tan DeGerolami has been promoted Health and Mental Retardation to lease the S to the position of superintendent of State Hospital south campus of the Vernon the Giddings State School., He had ap- to the Texas Youth Commission, and served as the assistant superintendent propriated $2 million for the conversion of since November 1985. the facility. DeGerolami holds a bachelor of social The TYC Board authorized Executive work from Our Lady of the Lake College in Director Steve Robinson to negotiate a 25- San Antonio and a masters degree in social year lease of the 195-acre site. work from the Worden School of Social A tornado last fall destroyed the roof Service at Our Lady of the Lake University. on the main building and caused extensive He previously served as the assistant water damage to the interior space. Because superintendent at West Texas Children's Home in Pyote, superintendent of Ayres TYC is coordinating repairs with TXMH R House in San Antonio, and was the medi- according to Youth Commission's renova- cal psychiatric caseworker at Giddings State Stan DeGerolami tion needs, some overall savings to the state Giddings Superintendent School. He also served as administrator- has resulted, without interfering with executive director of the Salvation Army taught me a tremendous amount." said TXMHMR's continued use of the build- Home for Girls in San Antonio. DeGerolami. "I hope to maintain their high ing. a) "I had a great opportunity to work with standards, with added emphasis on victim two excellent superintendents, Sandy restitution and community service." i Burnam and Calvin Crenshaw, both ofwhom New administrators TYC JOURNAL (continuedfrom page 2) published qucrterlybythe She was employed with Child and Fam- Cohen began his career with TYC in TEXAS YOUTH COMMISSION ily Services from 1989-1993, and with the 1978 as weekend coordinator at Travis 4900 N. Lamar " P.O. Box 4260 Texas Department of Health from 1993-1995. House, and later treatment coordinator at Austin, Texas 78765 0 (512) 483-5245 Salado House-both of which were later Contributing information should be sent to the attention J udy Briscoe, Special Assistant Deputy renamed Turman House. He became com- of Joan Timmons at the above address.

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