The Secretary of the Department of Juvenile Services oversees and manages the functions of the Department of Juvenile Services.
Betsy Fox Tolentino
Acting Secretary
Betsy Fox Tolentino was appointed Acting Secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services by Governor Wes Moore on June 9, 2025, and officially assumed the role on June 11, 2025.
Betsy brings nearly two decades of experience in criminal and juvenile justice advocacy, policy development, and systems reform aimed at addressing the diverse needs of Maryland’s communities. Most recently, she served as Managing Director of Young Adult Justice Initiatives at the nationally recognized nonprofit, The Roca Impact Institute. In this role, she led strategic partnerships, oversaw scaled client initiatives, and worked to expand national visibility for Rewire CBT—a cutting-edge model for individual behavior change and system transformation.
Prior to her work at Roca, Betsy held multiple leadership roles at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), including Deputy Secretary of Community Operations and Director of Legislation. As Deputy Secretary, she championed efforts to reimagine the way young people, families, and communities engage with the justice system—focusing on reducing racial disparities, building equity-driven reforms, and fostering innovation through collaborative partnerships.
Betsy began her legal career in public service, working with the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau before joining the Maryland Office of the Public Defender as an attorney in 2005. These foundational roles shaped her deep commitment to justice, fairness, and advocacy for underserved populations.
In addition to her professional work, Betsy is active in the community. She volunteers with grassroots organizations, serves on the Board of Directors for Mentor MD/DC, and teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She holds a degree from Southern Oregon University and earned her Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law.
Office of the Secretary
Assistant Secretary and Chief of Staff
vacant
Visit the
Office of the Chief of Staff page for more information.
Adina Levi
Deputy Secretary of Residential Services
Adina Levi is the Deputy Secretary of Residential Services. Adina has a Bachelor of Sociology Degree with a minor in Urban Policy studies and a Master of Community Counseling Degree from Roosevelt University. She has served in executive positions in both the public and private sectors. Adina previously worked at the Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS), serving as the Chief Program Manager for Community Programs before being promoted to Deputy Director of Secure Programs. She also served as Executive Director at Recovery Centers of America, overseeing the operations of the 140-bed residential and outpatient substance use treatment facility in the state of Maryland.
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Residential Services Division page for more information.
Lisa Garry
Deputy Secretary of Community Services
Lisa M. Garry serves as Deputy Secretary of Community Services for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), which oversees Pre-Adjudication Services, Community Supervision, and the Resource Office.
Lisa has an extensive work portfolio that combines public sector, community, and independent consulting experience. Prior to joining DJS, Lisa served as a Policy Director with the Center for Children’s Law and Policy (CCLP) in Washington, DC. Her work on racial disparities in the juvenile justice system has been recognized by both the MacArthur Foundation and Annie E. Casey Foundation with the 2012 DMC Champion of Change Award and the 2017 JDAI Distinguished System Leadership Award respectively.
Lisa earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (MPA) from the University of Baltimore, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.
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Community Services page for more information.
Tiffani Johnson
Deputy Secretary of Support Services
Tiffani Johnson is the Deputy Secretary of Support Services, which oversees crucial units within our Department, including Human Resources, Procurement, Contracts, Maintenance, General Services (Fleet/Inventory), and the newly established Auxiliary Fiscal Services (Travel, Corporate Purchase Card Program, FMIS Functional Coordinator, Vendor Services, and Tuition Reimbursement), Information Technology, Capital Planning and Budgeting, and Budget and Fiscal Services.
With over 15 years of experience in executive financial roles, a distinguished leadership background in the United States Military and 11 years with DJS, Tiffani brings a wealth of expertise to this new role. She has led a team of 400 individuals dedicated to advancing the mission of reintegrating youth involved in the juvenile justice system back into their homes and communities within the Human Resources, Procurement, Contract Management, General Services, Maintenance, Auxiliary Unit, and previously the Budget and Finance unit. Previously, Tiffani worked in Pennsylvania for Vision Quest and a youth community program which is now YAP, and then went to the U.S. Army.
Tiffani holds a dual MBA in Organizational Leadership and Design and Finance along with a Masters in Management and Bachelors with a concentration in HR from Colorado Technical University. Tiffani has earned her Contract Management Certification from MDOT as well as her CMPA for the State of Maryland Procurement Academy. She is a member of the National Society of Leadership and Success (NSLS); CTU Chapter. She has earned her certification from the State of Maryland MPCTC to be a State of Maryland Adjunct Trainer.
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Support Division page for more information.
Maisha Davis
Assistant Secretary of Community Resources
Maisha Davis is the Assistant Secretary of Community Resources with the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. Maisha is a Baltimore native who holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology from Morgan State University and a Master of Social Work Degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore. She has practiced social work for close to 30 years, including the provision of direct clinical services to children, youth, families, and individuals engaged in child welfare, juvenile justice, behavioral health, and public health care systems. Maisha is a skilled program administrator, experienced in community and coalition building, public policy, program development, training and facilitation, and strategic planning. Within the past 15 years, she has served as Deputy Director for the Maryland Association of Resources for Families and Youth (MARFY), as senior leadership with two Maryland state-licensed and contracted child- and family-serving nonprofit program providers, and as Program Director for Social Work and Outreach at Chase Brexton Health Care.
Following a very successful career in nonprofit program leadership, for the past several years, Maisha has devoted her attention to the growth and development of professionals and services as an educator and consultant. In these roles, she strives to equip practitioners and programs with the critical tools needed to instill hope, promote healing, and dismantle oppression within human services systems of care.
David Brown
Senior Advisor to the Secretary
David Brown is a Senior Advisor to the Secretary. David has had a distinguished career in youth work, serving as a non-profit executive, public administrator, policy analyst, grant maker, and advocate, with significant and varied experiences at the local, state, and national level in youth development, juvenile justice, workforce development, education, organizational development, and financial, budget, personnel, and contract management. David comes to us after serving for over 11 years as a Senior Fellow and Associate in the Juvenile Justice Strategy Group at the Annie E. Casey Foundation in Baltimore. David’s prior experience includes serving as Deputy Director of the DC Department of Youth Rehabilitation Services (DYRS). At DYRS, he was responsible for overseeing residential and community-based programs and services for nearly 1,000 committed and detained youth in the District’s care and custody. While with DYRS, he led the development of a new case-planning process and a comprehensive community-based continuum of care that included evidence-based practices and a menu of services, supports, and opportunities grounded in positive youth development, including a range of workforce development programs. Before joining DYRS, David worked at the national level as the executive director of the National Youth Employment Coalition and as a senior policy analyst with the National Governors’ Association (NGA), where he focused on youth policy issues, including youth employment, career education, juvenile justice, and national and community service. Prior to joining NGA, David served as a Government Relations Specialist for DJS from 1989–1992. David earned a Master in Public Administration (MPA) from Baruch College in New York, which he attended as a National Urban Fellow, and a B.S. in Political Science and Urban Affairs from American University in Washington, DC.
Seema Gajwani
Executive Director, Safer Stronger Together
Seema Gajwani is the Executive Director of Safer Stronger Together. She most recently was Special Counsel for Juvenile Justice Reform and Chief of the Restorative Justice Program Section at the D.C. Office of the Attorney General. Prior to this position, Seema ran the Criminal Justice Program at the Public Welfare Foundation in Washington, D.C., funding efforts to improve criminal and juvenile justice systems across the country, with a focus on pretrial detention reform and prosecutorial culture change. Seema started her career as a trial attorney at the D.C. Public Defender Service representing juvenile and adult defendants for six years. She was chosen as a 2019 Obama Fellow for her work on restorative justice, and was awarded the ABA’s 2022 Crime Victim Attorney Award. Seema is a graduate of Northwestern University and the New York University School of Law.
Tiana Davis
Executive Director, Office of Equity & Inclusion
Tiana Davis serves as Executive Director of the Office of Equity and Inclusion for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). Her role is to operationalize principles of institutional fairness and equity in agency decision making, and to provide state-level oversight of equity initiatives statewide. The office includes family engagement, community and youth engagement, and victim services.
Tiana is a proud native of Baltimore and comes to us after serving as Policy Director of Equity and Diversion at the Center for Children’s Law and Policy (CCLP). In this capacity, Tiana worked with national, state, and local leaders to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in the youth justice system. Prior to joining CCLP, Tiana served as the Director of Community Programming for the Mayor’s Office on Criminal Justice in Baltimore City, Maryland. Prior to her time with the Mayor’s Office, Tiana served as the Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC) Coordinator for Baltimore County, where she worked intensively with a group of local stakeholders to address racial disparities in the juvenile justice system. Tiana earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
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Office of Equity and Inclusion for more information.
Kara Aanenson
Director of Legislation, Policy, and Reform
Kara Aanenson is the Director of Legislation, Policy, and Reform for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services. In that role, she serves as part of the DJS executive leadership team and manages the Department's governmental relations, as well as assisting staff in meeting policy objectives consistent with state and federal law.
Prior to joining DJS, Kara served as the Director of the Just Kids Campaign at Community Law in Action, where she partnered with directly impacted young people to stop the automatic prosecution of youth as adults. She also was a social worker at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender where she worked in the legislative unit and developed alternative dispositions and sentencing plans for youth in adults.
Kara earned a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Maryland, and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Work from Wartburg College located in Waverly, IA.
John Irvine
Director, Office of Research and Evaluation
John Irvine serves as Director of the Office of Research and Evaluation. The Office helps ensure that the Department’s policies, programs, strategic plans, assessment, and initiatives are well supported by timely and accurate data, analysis, and research. The Office creates management, evaluation, and outcome reports for DJS leadership and key stakeholders, and partners with university researchers on in-depth research and evaluation projects. The office produces the DJS Data Resource guide - a benchmark, all-encompassing annual report on DJS youth and programs.
John began his State career in 1997 at the Department of Human Services as a policy analyst specializing in strategic planning and performance measurement. He developed DHS DataStat, an early State agency-level executive performance review, and worked with local DSS offices in successfully applying for Malcolm Baldrige Quality Awards. John has been with DJS for twenty years, starting as Assistant Director, and has been Director of Research and Evaluation since 2005. He earned a BA in philosophy from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Michael Sharp
Director of Communications
Michael Sharp serves as the Director of Communications and the official spokesperson for the Department of Juvenile Services (DJS). Michael develops and oversees all internal and external communications strategies, responds to the media, Public Information Act requests, crisis situations, and regularly coordinates messaging with the Governor’s Office and oversees the Special Projects and Website team.
Tonya Allen
Executive Assistant for the Secretary & Assistant Secretary/Chief of Staff
Tonya Allen is the Executive Assistant for the Secretary & Assistant Secretary/Chief of Staff. Prior to joining DJS, Tonya served as a Judicial Assistant to two federal judges on the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, and a judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. She also served as the Chief of Staff/Chief Operations Officer in the Baltimore City Solicitor’s office. Tonya earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.
