 August 12, 2010 – Judge Michael Key, President of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (the “Council”) and Mary Mentaberry, Council Executive Director, have announced that Judge Dale Koch (ret.) from Portland, Oregon, has been named Interim Executive Director of the Council effective October 1, 2010. This statement follows Executive Director Mary Mentaberry’s announcement last month of her plans to retire after 37 years at the Council, effective September 30, 2010. Judge Koch is a familiar face to Council staff and to people with whom the Council works in the field; he served as Council President in 2006-2007, and has been active in committee and project work, as well as teaching on behalf of the Council. Prior to becoming Interim Director in October, Judge Koch will continue to serve as a consultant to the Council President on special projects and will work closely with Ms. Mentaberry to ensure a smooth transition. A national search for a new Executive Director is being planned and will begin in the coming weeks. In the meantime, the great work of the Council will continue under the guidance of Ms. Mentaberry and Judge Koch.
Judge Key also announced that Ms. Mentaberry will continue to work with the Council after her retirement in various capacities. "We are excited that Mary has agreed to continue to share her considerable experience and expertise with us following her retirement, not just as Executive Director, but in all program areas," said Judge Key. "Mary is known in Reno and throughout the country as a tireless leader who, for 37 years, has consistently demonstrated her passion for the work and her commitment to the Council and to the people served by the Council. Mary and Dale will make a great team." At the formal announcement to Council senior staff, Judge Koch praised Ms. Mentaberry for her contribution to the Council and expressed his gratitude to her for agreeing to continue to work with him and with the Council during this transition.
July 23, 2010 -- NCJFCJ Executive Director Mary Mentaberry announced that she is retiring effective September 30, 2010. Ms. Mentaberry, who has been with the Council for 37 years, the past 6 as Executive Director, is stepping down to pursue other interests. "Mary Mentaberry's contributions to the Council over the past four decades have been exemplary," says NCJFCJ President Michael Key, and "her dedication to the Council's mission and her efforts on behalf of juvenile courts around the country will be missed."
For the past two years, with Ms. Mentaberry at the Council's helm, NCJFCJ has been voted a finalist for the best place to work award in Reno, Nevada. Ms. Mentaberry has received numerous awards individually and on behalf of the Council, including the December 1998 Award for Achievement for Service to Families and Children presented by Shay Bilchik, former Administrator of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U. S. Department of Justice; and the 2008 Distinguished Service Award from the National Center for State Courts presented by NCSC President Mary McQueen. Also in 2008, Ms. Mentaberry was honored for long-term commitment to children along with U. S. Congressman Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) at the National Association for Children of Alcoholics 25th Anniversary Gala in Washington, DC. In March 2001, Ms. Mentaberry accepted an award on behalf of NCJFCJ's Permanency Planning for Children Department for Extraordinary Contributions to Systemic Reform in the Area of Adoption presented by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
Mary Mentaberry has been recognized for her ground-breaking work in guiding the Council's nationally recognized Victims Act Model Courts Project from its inception until 2004 when she became the Council’s Executive Director. The project focuses on improving court practice in handling of child abuse and neglect cases and is working in jurisdictions nationwide including Los Angeles, Chicago and New York City.
Biography of: MARY VOLPA MENTABERRY
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges
Reno, Nevada
Mary V. Mentaberry has served as Executive Director of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, headquartered on the University of Nevada, Reno campus since September 2004. She has worked for the NCJFCJ for more than 35 years in a variety of positions, beginning as a student employee in 1969.
As Executive Director, her responsibilities have included overseeing all areas related to administration of the organization, including all personnel (101), offices in five locations (three in Reno, NCJJ in Pittsburgh, and the Family Violence Department office in Washington, D.C.). She oversees an annual budget of over $15 million, including income and expenditures from as many as 80 funding sources and reports directly to the President of the NCJFCJ, as well as the members of NCJFCJ’s Executive Committee and Board of Trustees.
Ms. Mentaberry is responsible for maintaining close working relationships with members of the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives and their staffs in order to ensure continued funding stream for NCJFCJ projects. Also maintains close working relationships with the Office of the Governor, State of Nevada and Nevada State Legislature in order to ensure funding from the state for NCJFCJ. She has developed collaborative relationships with related organizations, including: American Judges Association; National Judicial College; National Center for State Courts; American Bar Association; Child Welfare League of America; American Public Human Services Association; Conference of Chief Justices; Conference of State Court Administrators; National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators; National CASA Association; University of Nevada, Reno; UNR’s Center for Justice Studies.
Ms. Mentaberry joined NCJFCJ in the Summer of 1969 as a Student Assistant while attending the University of Nevada, Reno, the second person hired at the Council. She joined the organization full-time in 1970 as Manager of Training Services and then Assistant Director of the Training Division, where she took responsibility for administration of judicial training programs.
Since 1983, she has worked in various capacities in NCJFCJ’s Permanency Planning for Children Department, and was the Department’s Director from 1996 to 2004. During this time, she directed development and implementation for approximately $5 million annually in nationally focused programs to improve court and systems practice in handling of child abuse and neglect cases. These initiatives focus on improving court and systems practice to ultimately provide better outcomes for our nation’s abused and neglected children. Among the many projects she has directed, her work in the Department has been instrumental in: - The establishment of the Victims Act Model Court Project. The 31Model Courts around the country serve as national “laboratories” for meaningful systems change in how child abuse and neglect cases are processed through the court and through the child protection system.
- Oversight and participation in development of (40+) publications since assuming leadership of the department in 1996, including two landmark publications which form the backbone of the Model Courts Project, RESOURCE GUIDELINES: Improving Court Practice in Child Abuse & Neglect Cases, and ADOPTION AND PERMANENCY GUIDELINES, Improving Court Practice in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases.
PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS
- Member, Advisory Committee, Foundation for Relevant Education About the Law, March 2008-present
- Member, Advisory Committee, Court Appointed Special Advocates Foundation of Washoe County, February 2008-present
- Delegation Leader, Juvenile and Family Justice Professional Delegation to South Africa, People to People Citizen Ambassador Programs, September 15-25, 2008
- Member, American Lung Association of Nevada 29th Annual Honoree Dinner Committee, 2008
- Member, Girls and Boys Town of Northern Nevada Advisory Board, 2007-present
- Member, Resource Group, Advisory Committee on CFSR Outcomes, Children’s Bureau, U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2003-2004
- Member, Child Welfare League of America/Robert Wood Johnson Work Group on Integrating Systems of Care: Improving Quality of Care for the Most Vulnerable Children and Their Families, 2003-2004
- Member, Planning Committee, Permanency Partnership Forum, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Children’s Bureau, 1997-2003
- Member, National Advisory Committee, Exploring Effective Interventions in Domestic Violence of Child Maltreatment, NCJFCJ, 2000-2003
- Member, National Multi-Cultural Advisory Committee, National Resource Center for Special Needs Adoptions, 2000-2002
- Member, National Advisory Committee, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th National Conferences on Child Abuse and Neglect, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995-2005
- Member, National Advisory Committee, 12th, 13th, 14th, and 15th National Conferences on Child Abuse and Neglect, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1995-2005
- Member, Technical Work Group, Feasibility of Evaluation of the State Court Improvement Program, Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children, Youth and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2002
- Member, Judicial Education on Substance Abuse Advisory Committee, National Center for State Courts and American Judges Association, 2002
- Member, Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children Advisory Committee, American Public Human Services Association, 2000-2002
- Member, JAIBG Information/Technology Focus Group, Development Services Group, 2000-2002
- Member, Expert Work Group, Guidelines for Public Policy & State Legislation, Governing Permanency for Children, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Administration for Children & Families, 1998-1990
- Member, Executive Committee, National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators, 1996-1999
- Member, National Committee on Standards in Adoption Services, Child Welfare League of America, 1997-1998
- Member, Child Welfare Advisory Board, University of Nevada, School of Social Work, 1989-1990
SELECTED PUBLICATIONS - Annooshepoor, H., Durkin, M., Flango, V., Gatowski, S., Hardin, M., Hemrich, V., Lukowski, G., Mentaberry, M., Rubio, D., Steketee, M., Uekert, B. (2004). Building a Better Court: Measuring and Improving Court Performance and Judicial workload in Child Abuse and Neglect Cases. American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, National Center for State Courts and National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
- Bailey, C., Dobbin, S.A., Gatowski, S., Mentaberry, M. (2000) Technical Assistance Bulletin: Child Victims Act Model Courts Project Status Report 2000, Volume V, No. 2, May 2001, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
- Mentaberry, Mary (1999). OJJDP Fact Sheet, January 1999, #90, U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
- Bailey, C., Mentaberry, M. (1999) Technical Assistance Bulletin: Mini-Conference on Judicial Workloads in Juvenile and Family Courts, Vol. III, No. 2, July 1999, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges.
- Project Manager, Assistant Editor, RESOURCE GUIDELINES: Improving Court Practice in Child Abuse & Neglect Cases, Permanency Planning for Children Project, National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, Reno, Nevada, 1995.
AWARDS - July 2009 -- "Heart and Soul Award" from NCJFCJ's Board of Trustees and Executive Committee, presented at NCJFCJ 72nd Annual Conference, Chicago
- April 2008 – Distinguished Service Award, National Center for State Courts. Presented by President Mary McQueen during the NCSC Board of Director’s Meeting, April 12, 2008, Denver, CO.
- April 2008 – Honored for long-term commitment to children. Acknowledged at the National Association for Children of Alcoholics 25th Anniversary Gala Dinner, April 17, 2008, Washington, D.C.
- March 2007 – Inclusion in 2007-2008 Edition of The Heritage Registry of Who’s WhoTM.
- October 2001 – Silver Star Award for Leadership in Supporting Truckee Meadows of Tomorrow and Quality of Life (Reno, NV).
- March 2001 – Accepted award on behalf of NCJFCJ/Permanency Planning for Children Department, for Extraordinary Contribution to Systemic Reform in the Area of Adoption. Presented by Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
- December 1998 – Award for Achievement for Service to Families and Children, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, U.S. Department of Justice. Presented by Administrator Shay Bilchik during OJJDP Annual Conference, 1998, Washington, D.C.
EDUCATION - 2009 -- Jessie Ball duPont Fund Executive Director/Board Chair Leadership Institute certified by the Georgetown Public Policy Institute’s Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership
- Summer 2007 – Georgetown University Center for Public and Nonprofit Leadership Nonprofit Management Executive Certificate Program
- Graduate, University of Nevada, Reno, B.A., June 1970; Major: English/History
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Executive Director 
