JSEP Board
The JSEP Board is comprised of 11 members; the Governor appoints five of those members with the advice and consent of the Senate. Appointed Board members are required to meet monthly and serve four-year terms.
Generally, the JSEP Board responsibilities include:
- Appointing a JSEP Superintendent;
- Developing accredited educational programs;
- Reviewing quality assurance reports;
- Conducting performance reviews of the Superintendent every four years, and;
- Approving the educational curriculum, including post-secondary educational programs, vocational and online programs.
JSEP School Board Initial Goals
Board Members
Vincent Schiraldi, Secretary, Department of Juvenile Services
Since 2023, Vincent Schiraldi has been Secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. Vincent Schiraldi is a national leader in criminal/juvenile justice and mass incarceration reform, a field he has worked in for more than four decades. He previously served as Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Correction, and before that Columbia University, where he served as Senior Research Scientist at the Columbia School of Social Work and co-Director of the Columbia Justice Lab, working to reduce the footprint and negative impact of community corrections, eliminate youth prisons, and create a developmentally appropriate response to offending by young adults. Mr. Schiraldi went to Columbia from the Harvard Kennedy School Program in Criminal Justice where he was a Senior Researcher. Mr. Schiraldi also has extensive government experience in criminal and juvenile justice. While Commissioner of New York City’s Department of Correction, he attempted to close Riker’s Island and end the practice of solitary confinement. Mr. Schiraldi also served as director of juvenile corrections in Washington DC, as Commissioner of the New York City Department of Probation, and as Senior Policy Adviser to the NYC Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice. He also pioneered efforts at community-based alternatives to incarceration in NYC and Washington DC as founder and executive director of the Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice and Justice Policy Institute, respectively. Schiraldi has lectured at the Columbia University School of Social Work, Harvard Law School, NYU School of Social Work, San Francisco University, and the Georgetown University Center for Juvenile Justice Reform. Schiraldi received a Master’s in Social Work from New York University, and a Bachelor of Arts from Binghamton University.
Dr. Sanjay Rai, Secretary of Maryland Higher Education Commission
Dr. Sanjay Rai formerly served as Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and led the Workforce Development and Continuing Education unit at Montgomery College. He is a higher education leader with over 30 years of experience championing access and student success, leading organizational change, talent development, economic development developing partnerships with business and industry ensuring post-completion success, and engaging with higher education leaders across the state, the country, and internationally. With a global education that includes degrees from India, Canada, and the United States; academic experiences from tutor to senior vice president for academic affairs; and leadership experiences at a private liberal arts university, a state university system, and a community college, Dr. Rai has developed perspectives, knowledge, skills and a deep commitment to equity for all students that makes him a sought-after leader and partner. Dr. Rai earned a doctorate in mathematics from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville. He has received several awards for leadership, teaching and scholarship and has authored numerous scholarly articles and other academic publications. His publications are in applied mathematics and mathematics education, and include his most recent publication in 2020,
Basic insights in vector calculus: with a supplement on mathematical understanding.
Sharon Stanley Merriweather, Maryland Attorney General Designee
Sharon Stanley Merriweather is an Assistant Attorney General with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General. She is currently the Principal Counsel for the Maryland Health Benefit Exchange where she provides legal counsel regarding healthcare reform, the Affordable Care Act, government regulatory law, government contracting, and data privacy and security matters. From 2006-2011, Merriweather served as Assistant Attorney General to the Juvenile Justice Monitoring Unit, providing legal advice and counsel on issues such as drafting and negotiating agreements, reviewing legislation, and complying with federal and State laws. Merriweather earned a B.A. from the University of Delaware and received her law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.
Dr. Peter Leone recently retired from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he taught in the College of Education and served for many years as the director of the National Center on Education, Disability, and Juvenile Justice. Dr. Leone earned his Ph.D. in special education from the University of Washington in Seattle. He has published extensively in the area of education for youth in the juvenile justice system and served as a consultant and expert witness on this issue throughout the United States.
Grace Reusing is an attorney with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. For nearly a decade, she has focused her work on monitoring the conditions of confinement for justice-involved youth and ensuring the provision of quality educational services for her clients. She previously served as the Deputy District Public Defender in Baltimore City. She graduated from the University of Maryland Law School and is a licensed attorney in both Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Dr. Tracey L. Durant is the Executive Director of Equity for Baltimore City Public Schools, where she is responsible for leading system-wide initiatives designed to promote equitable practices, systems, and structures that ensure positive educational outcomes. Prior to assuming her current position, she served as a Specialist in the Department of Equity and Cultural Proficiency for Baltimore County Public Schools. She is a College Bound Foundation Distinguished Alumni and was named one of the Daily Record’s Top 100 Women in 2018. She holds a doctorate in higher education from Morgan State University.
Richard Stevenson III, Educator Member, is a special education teacher at Garrett Children’s Center (GCC). His teaching career began with four years of teaching Preschool Special Education at Wiley Ford Primary School in West Virginia. followed by the position of Teacher/Behavior Intervention Specialist for grades 3-8 at Frankfort Intermediate in West Virginia, where he spent four years teaching a self contained classroom for students with behavioral and emotional needs. This led to a similar position at Fort Hill High School in Cumberland, MD, which lasted for three years, followed by a position back to the elementary side at South Penn Elementary in Cumberland, MD, to again teach students with behavioral and emotional disorders. Two years ago he moved to JSES to become a resource teacher at Meadow Mountain Youth Center. Upon the closure of Meadow Mountain, he took his position at Garrett Children’s Center. Due to COVID closures he is currently working at Green Ridge Youth Center until the reopening of GCC. Throughout his teaching career he has been involved in the leadership, discipline, and administrative aspects, assisting and acting as an administrator at each of his different assignments. Those administrative roles include: Building Designee at both Wiley Ford Primary and Frankfort Intermediate, Teacher in Charge at South Penn Elementary and CPI trainer in both Mineral County, WV and Maryland. He received his Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood education and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership from Frostburg State University and currently holds certifications in early childhood/elementary education, Special Education birth - Adult, and Administration. He currently resides in Western Maryland with his wife and three children.
Leonard Webb is currently the Next Generation Scholar Program Coordinator for Allegany County with the Maryland Business Roundtable for Education. He helps high school students prepare for life after high school by supporting them in determining their career interests as well as connecting them to resources to support their journey. Prior to that, he spent 27 years with the Federal Bureau of Prisons as a Drug Treatment Specialist / Counselor providing support to men incarcerated in their pursuit to living a drug-free / incarceration-free life. He currently owns his own educational consulting business, Webbolutionary Motivation, LLC, where he provides professional development for educators and speaking services to schools across the country to improve school culture and student engagement. Leonard is a graduate of the University of South Florida.
Dr. Andrae Townsel is the Superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools. Dr. Townsel was born and raised in the beautiful state of Michigan. As a student-athlete at Cass Technical High School, he earned a football scholarship to Howard University in Washington, DC. His football scholarship ultimately turned into a doctoral degree. He earned his bachelors, masters, and doctorate all from Howard University and began his educational career in the District of Columbia. He had the privilege of working in every level of the educational system and excelled. He served as a student teacher, teacher, football and basketball head coach, assistant dean, dean of students, central office specialist, assistant principal, high school principal, assistant superintendent, and a highly effective superintendent. On July 1, 2022, Dr. Andraé Townsel became the first black superintendent in the history of Calvert County, Maryland.
