Peggy McGarry Appointed Director of Criminal Justice Programs

Posted on Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The JEHT Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Peggy McGarry as Director of Criminal Justice Programs, with responsibility for JEHT’s criminal justice and juvenile justice work. Previously Ms. McGarry was Senior Program Manager in criminal justice for three years at the Foundation.

Prior to joining the JEHT Foundation, Ms. McGarry spent 21 years as a principal with the Center for Effective Public Policy where she directed many of its national training and technical assistance projects, including the Community Justice in Rural Communities and Tribal Courts project, the Community Prosecution Regional Trainings project, and the Police-Prosecutors Partnership project.

She directed many other projects over 21 years, including “Improving Community Responses to Women Offenders” for the National Institute of Corrections (NIC); and “An Agenda for the Nation on Violence Against Women” for both the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. She directed ten years of the Center’s many projects on intermediate sanctions, working with over 50 policy teams in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
Ms. McGarry is the co-author of two guides to local criminal justice decision-making and several articles on community justice.

She provided training and technical assistance to paroling authorities, courts, probation agencies, state and local corrections departments, sentencing commissions, and a variety of other criminal justice and local government agencies. Ms. McGarry founded and directed Women Against Abuse in Philadelphia, a shelter and legal services program for victims of domestic violence, and served as the first president of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Alexa Avilés Appointed Program Manager for Juvenile Justice

Posted on Monday, July 28, 2008

The JEHT Foundation is pleased to announce that Alexa Avilés has been appointed as the Foundation's Program Manager for juvenile justice. Previously, Ms. Avilés was the Senior Program Associate for the Juvenile Justice Program and a Program Associate for the Criminal Justice Program. Prior to her work with the JEHT Foundation, Ms. Avilés worked with a private foundation providing grants to social justice and Native American organizations throughout the U.S. She has also provided consulting services to several community-based organizations throughout New York City. Ms. Avilés is a graduate of Columbia College and Baruch's School of Public Affairs and an alumna of the National Urban Fellows.