Speaker Faculty & Bios

Click on the name to view bio
 
 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Allen Beck Ph.D., Principal, Justice Concepts, Inc.

Dr. Allen Beck has been involved in planning programs for offenders since the early 1970's. Later in the 1978 he began consulting for a project in the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration, LEAA, in the U.S. Department of Justice. In this role he assisted in formulating programs to train planners and evaluators in State Planning Agencies, Regional Planning Units, Local Planning Units, local law enforcement agencies, and state correctional agencies.

During the 1980's up to the current time he has been involved in forecasting capacity requirements for jails and prisons and how to reduce the size of those populations through the creation of alternatives to incarceration. In this role he has become exceptionally knowledgeable about a wide range of pre-incarceration alternatives and programs to step-down sentenced offenders from incarceration into the community.

He holds a Ph.D. in Correctional Administration, a Master’s in Rehabilitation Counseling, and a Bachelor’s in Psychology. He also has studied strategic planning at the Wharton School and served as a Research Fellow in LEAA for the study of methods for forecasting prison and jail populations.

Return to faculty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paul Elam Ph.D., Director & Project Manager, Public Policy Associates

Paul Elam, Ph.D., is the director of business development and project manager at Public Policy Associates, Inc., a national public policy research, development, and evaluation firm headquartered in Lansing, Michigan with offices in Michigan and California. PPA serves clients in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors at the national, state, and local levels by conducting complex and comprehensive research, analysis, and evaluation designed to inform and support strategic decision-making.

Dr. Elam has over 11 years of experience working as a team builder and is recognized for his ability to assist government, academic, community, and philanthropic organizations with pressing sociological issues. He has been successful in securing over $15 million dollars in federal, state, and private contracts and grants to develop and maintain human services in the City of Lansing, Ingham County, and the State of Michigan. Dr. Elam has also worked with several City, County, and State coalitions to help develop community- and school-based programs.

Dr. Elam has wide experience and competency in research and analysis, program and policy development, grant administration and contract compliance, and university partnership building. Recent project positions include principal investigator for the Ingham County Youth Risk Factor analysis, principal investigator in an overview of the Wayne County Juvenile Detention Facility; evaluator for the Ingham County/City of Lansing Community Coalition for Youth (CCY) Title V Juvenile Delinquency Prevention Program, and research analyst for the Capital Area Career Development System Environmental Scan.

Dr. Elam is currently working with the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS), the Skillman Foundation, and Michigan State University to coordinate the efforts of the Michigan Child Welfare Improvement Task Force. As project manager he is responsible for convening an 80-member Task Force to provide recommendations to the director of the DHS about the essential outcomes necessary to determine the efficacy of Michigan’s child welfare services in the development and transition of children at-risk of, or receiving, child welfare services.

Dr. Elam is also working with the Michigan Department of Corrections and the Michigan Council on Crime and Delinquency on the Michigan Prisoner ReEntry Initiative. As project manager he is working with these partners to implement a state-wide model that connects recently released prisoners with the resources necessary for a successful reintegration into the local communities to which they are returning.

Dr. Elam is also managing a project with the Michigan Department of Human Services, Bureau of Juvenile Justice and the Michigan State Court Administrator’s Office to help state and local governments prevent and control juvenile delinquency and improve the juvenile justice system. This project involves helping to develop and implement strategies to deinstitutionalize status offenders, separate juveniles from adults in institutions, remove juveniles from adult jails and lockups, and reduce disproportionate minority contact.

Prior to joining PPA, Dr. Elam worked as the grants and program coordinator for the City of Lansing Human Relations and Community Services Department. Dr. Elam has also worked as a research and teaching assistant at Michigan State University in the Departments of Urban Affairs, Criminal Justice, and Family and Child Ecology where he assisted professors with the study and instruction of crime, juvenile delinquency, research methodology, multiculturalism, demography, urbanism, and multicultural communication. He has also worked as an institutional research analyst at Lansing Community College where he assisted with studies on student retention, enrollment forecasting and trends, institutional program effectiveness, and student satisfaction.

Dr. Elam is the co-author and presenter of monographs and papers that have been presented at national conferences. He received both his undergraduate training in criminal justice and his graduate training in criminal justice, urban studies, and family and child ecology from Michigan State University.
 

Return to faculty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sobem Nwoko, President, Joyfields Institute 

Mr. Nwoko is a human performance management consultant who has been delivering evidence supported best practices management training and consulting to private and public sector organizations since 1997.

He spent over 20 years in senior management roles at various corporations before founding Joyfields Institute in 2001.  He has had responsibility for over 350 employees managing operations and driving strategic programs designed to improve processes as well as employee and customer satisfaction.

Mr. Nwoko did his Bachelors degree work in Mass Communications at the University of Maryland and Graduate work in Instructional Technologies at Towson State University.  As president of Joyfields Institute, he has focused his attention on evidence based best practice models for solving executive leadership challenges.  He has worked to bring the best experts together to disseminate and teach these practices.

Joyfields Institute programs are delivered through live and online workshops and conferences.  The company publishes websites featuring daily news, resources as well as e-publications delivered to subscriber and members online.

Mr. Nwoko is married and has 2 lovely daughters.  The family lives in the Atlanta, GA area of the USA.

Return to faculty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gladys Scott, Assoc. Vice President, Dismas Charities

Gladys Scott is the Associate Vice President at Dismas Charities which operates some 43 Community Corrections facilities on behalf of the US Federal Board of Prisons.  Ms. Scott is responsible for Dismas Charities operations in the states of Georgia and Florida.  She is a community corrections veteran having served in this area for nearly 20 years.

Return to faculty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Scott Marchbanks, Ph.D,. Educator and Behavioral Psychologist,
Former Director of Education, Associated Marine Institutes & Former Professor of Psychology, Georgia Southern University

Dr. Marchbanks has a BA and M.Ed. in Special Education from Clemson University and a Ph.D. in Special Education and Behavioral Psychology from The University of Georgia.   Dr. Marchbanks has been a classroom teacher, principal, and special education director.  He was the Director of Education for the Associated Marine Institutes, a not for profit private provider of education and treatment services for adjudicated and delinquent youth.  He was also the Director of Education at Associated Marine Institutes, a non-profit company serving adjudicated and delinquent youth in marine science and wilderness settings.  Responsibilities included direct oversight of all special and regular education programming for 55 schools in eight states.  Other duties included direct oversight of alternative schools contracted with local school systems, providing support in leadership and administration for all schools as well as community and board development for new programs. Also had responsibility for the development and implementation of school improvement plans for all sites related to NCLB compliance, serving as a liaison with State Departments of Juvenile Justice and Departments of Education, writing grants and contracts for new programs and program renewal, and the development, implementation, and training of curricula for non-traditional learners.

For 3 years he was principal for the state of Georgia's Savannah River Challenge Program, a program of the Associated Marine Institutes.  Primary responsibilities included oversight of the entire educational programming for a 150-bed residential program for first-time juvenile offending adolescent males.  Programming included directing and implementing a fully inclusive educational program for learners with disabilities, coordinating the delivery of instruction across a varied curriculum that includes academic courses earning Carnegie units, vocational programming, and GED instruction.  Other responsibilities included managing the educational staff including 15 certified teachers and 13 other staff members, developing community resources including articulating a partnership with Georgia Southern University, collaborating with local technical colleges, and guiding the program through extensive audits by the State Department of Education, Department of Juvenile Justice, Office of Continuous Improvement, and the Federal Department of Justice.  The Federal Department of Justice listed the Savannah River Challenge Program as “the best program of its kind in the country.”

Return to faculty

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Bette C. Neville, Ed. D., Former Director of Treatment, Associated Marine Institutes, Motivational Interviewing Network Trainer (MINT), Certified YASI (Youth Assessment Screening Instrument) Trainer

Until this past June (2009) when she retired, Dr. Bette Neville worked at the Associated Marine Institutes in Tampa, Florida where she had been serving as Director of Treatment for the previous 5 years.  Her work there helped to lead the organization in the implementation of evidence-based principles and practices.  Thankfully she could not stay away for very long when Joyfields Institute sought her out.  She returns now to help others through training and development at Joyfields Institute.  We are privileged to have her on board as a trainer.

Dr. Neville became a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network Trainer (MINT) after completing the required training and is also a Certified YASI (Youth Assessment Screening Instrument) trainer.  She has served as President and Vice-President for the GA Federation of CEC and also served with AMI, a national organization dedicated to helping troubled youth who have been incarcerated or are at-risk. Her volunteer work has been serving on the Boards of these organizations, helping with resource development, and serving on the national team dedicated to making AMI the best in providing services to troubled youth.

During her time in active service, Dr. Neville has worked in many roles including Special Education and Special Projects Director in the Evans County School System of GA.  She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership from Georgia Southern University (GSU) and earned a Adult Education Certification from the GA Dept of Education.

Return to faculty


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kenneth W. Wanberg Th.D., Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, Center for Addictions Research and Evaluation - CARE

Kenneth W. Wanberg, Th.D., Ph.D. has academic concentrations in clinical psychology, psychology of religion, pastoral counseling, psychometrics and quantitative analysis, interpersonal communication and the psychology of spoken language. His undergraduate work was in biology and mathematics. He worked as a counselor and clinical psychologist with the Alcoholism Division at the Fort Logan Mental Health Center for 15 years, as a clinical psychologist with the Division of Youth Corrections, State of Colorado, for 17 years, and in private practice as a clinical psychologist 36 years. He has worked as a clinician and researcher in the alcohol and drug abuse field for over 46 years and as a clinician and researcher in the field of criminal conduct and substance abuse for the past 25 years. He is also an ordained minister in the United Methodist Church.

Dr. Wanberg has been author, principal investigator and project evaluator of a number of federal research and demonstration projects, including: principal investigator of a six-year NIAAA research project focusing on identifying and relating alcoholism dimensions to therapy and outcome and author and principal investigator; and a three-year NIAAA funded applied training program for alcoholism counselors; co-author and research director of an Extended Residential Treatment Program for Alcoholism, funded by NIMH Hospital Improvement Programs.

He was senior author of a NIDA funded Early Detection and Intervention of Alcohol and Drug Problems Project that helped established a network of alcohol-drug treatment programs in Metro Denver. He was also co-author and site principal investigator for a three year CSAT funded project that provided substance abuse treatment to Denver's public housing communities, project evaluator for a three year CSAP project for at-risk youth, and a seven year Office of Justice Programs funded Residential Substance Abuse Treatment (RSAT) program for committed juvenile offenders.

Dr. Wanberg has served as a consultant to the Colorado Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division, numerous community mental health or substance abuse agencies, and an adjunct or visiting faculty member of several colleges and universities. He is the author of the Colorado Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Basic Counseling Skills manual, has published numerous scholarly articles, and is the author or co-author of several widely used alcohol and drug use assessment instruments.

He is co-author with Dr. Harvey Milkman of the 1st and 2nd second editions of Criminal Conduct and Substance Abuse: Strategies for Self-Improvement and Change (Sage Publications), a treatment manual for offenders with a history of substance abuse; and co-author with Drs Milkman and Timken of Driving with Care: Education and Treatment of the Impaired Driving Offender - Strategies for Responsible Living and Change and the three participant workbooks that go along with this work (Sage Publications). He is also co-author with Dr. Milkman of Pathways to Self-Discovery and Change: Criminal Conduct and Substance Abuse Treatment for At-Risk Teens (Sage Publications) and co-author with Dr. Milkman and Ms. Gagliardi of Women in Corrections: Adjunct Provider’s Guide to Criminal Conduct and Substance Abuse Treatment (Sage Publications).

His research focus has been in the area of identifying different patterns and dimensions of substance use and addictive behaviors in adolescence and adult clinical and offender populations and, building on this research, developing a number of assessment instruments for individuals with substance abuse problems and a history of criminal conduct. He is a licensed clinical psychologist and just recently retired from private practice after 50 years of clinical work. He is currently director of the Center for Addictions Research and Evaluation - CARE, and is a consultant and trainer with a number of juvenile and adult criminal justice public and private agencies and jurisdictions.

Most important, he cherishes his wife, two sons and nine grandchildren, all of whom provide him with the true joy of living.’

 Return to faculty

 

Dr. David L. Myers, Professor of Criminology and Interim Director, John P. Murtha Institute for Homeland Security, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Myers joined the IUP faculty in 1998. He currently is serving as interim vice provost for Research and dean of Graduate Studies. He is the editor of Criminal Justice Policy Review, and his recent publications have appeared in Crime & Delinquency and Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice.

Education: Ph.D. Criminology and Criminal Justice, University of Maryland, 1999
M.S. Administration of Justice, Shippensburg University, 1994
B.S. Criminal Justice, Shippensburg University, 1989

Areas of Interest: Graduate Education, Juvenile Justice and Delinquency, Criminal Justice Policy, Crime Prevention, Research Methods and Quantitative Analysis

 

 

 

Abe French, Program Director, Community Interventions, LLC

Abe French, the “practitioners’ trainer” is Program Director at Community Interventions.  He has specialized in behavioral change approaches for more than fifteen years.  Abe has worked as a consultant and technical assistance provider for state, federal and private agencies.  Engagements have included program development, quality assurance, organizational development, peer training programs, cognitive behavioral program training and a variety of other services.  He has delivered programs directly to offenders as a corrections officer in state prisons and as a contracted service provider in jail and community based corrections settings.  Abe continues to work with program development focused upon reducing recidivism and enhancing prison and jail reentry efforts. 

He has worked with staff from Virginia, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, Michigan, South Carolina, Oregon, Indiana and Arizona.  Abe has provided technical assistance to such diverse program approaches as paramilitary “boot camp”, substance abuse treatment venues and therapeutic communities.  As a National Institute of Corrections technical assistance consultant, Abe has helped develop programs in Ohio at the Lucas County Correctional Treatment Facility. 

His background includes motivational interviewing, cognitive reflective communication, thinking report engagement, problem solving, social skills and cognitive restructuring.  He has received training from The National Institute of Corrections, the Thought Institute and The Change Companies.  Among others, he has received training from Dr Jack Bush, Dr. Juliana Taymans, Dr. Barry Glick, Brian Billodeau, Mark Gornik and Steve Swisher.  Abe is a trainer for Thinking for a Change, OPTIONS: A Cognitive Self Change Program, Thinking Matters and Thinking Report Engagement

 

Abe’s work is both evidence-based and innovative.  He developed Thinking Matters and Thinking Report Engagement programs.  Thinking Matters is a flexible work sheet based cognitive behavioral approach that teaches a basic set of cognitive behavioral skills.  It can be used as an introductory model or expanded into a more intensive model.  Thinking Report Engagement is a five step facilitator skills approach that teaches facilitators to engage program participants to exercise objective self reflection.  These approaches provide cognitive skills that encourage individuals to progress through the change process and motivate lasting pro-social change on a personal level.

 

Mr. French studied Criminal Justice at Lansing Community College.  He also attended Central Michigan University where he earned his B.Sc. degree in Community Development and M.Sc. in Public Administration.

Return to faculty