Judy McLeod received The Larry J. Harvey Program Manager’s Award

During the 25th Anniversary Celebration and Conference for Tennessee Community Corrections Association, March 16, 2011 held in Nashville, TN, Lincoln County resident, Judy McLeod received the Larry J. Harvey Program Manager’s Award.

Judy McLeod, Program Director for the South Central Human Resource Agency’s Community Corrections Program was presented this very prestigious award during the Award’s Banquet.  The honor is given by the Tennessee Community Corrections Association to the Program Manager who exemplifies outstanding service, dedication and managerial leadership.  Ms. McLeod was nominated and selected for this award by colleagues and peers.  It is given in memory of Larry J. Harvey who was instrumental in founding and developing the Community Corrections Act of 1986, which established Community Corrections Programs throughout the state of Tennessee.   Community Corrections is a community based alternative to incarceration for non-violent felony offenders, designed to help alleviate the overcrowding of prisons and jails.  This program encompasses nine southern middle Tennessee counties in the 14th, 17th and 22nd Judicial Districts and supervises over 300 convicted felons.

Judy. McLeod began her career in Community Corrections over 17 years ago as a part-time Community Service Coordinator, promoted to Case Officer, then upward to Assistant Program Manager and six years ago became Program Director.  “Under the leadership and guidance of Ms. McLeod as Program Director, the overall program has grown and receives high accolades from all who are associated with her, her staff and her program”, stated James Coy Anderson, Executive Director for SCHRA.

"This award was a great honor from my peers and staff; however, my deepest gratitude goes to the wonderful men and women who work with me in the Community Corrections Program. They are the "best of the best" and I and the program as a whole would not be as successful without their dedication, professionalism and commitment to the program" Judy McLeod

Ms. McLeod graduated from Belmont (College) University in Nashville, Tennessee with a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice.  She received her FTO Basic Training from the Tennessee Corrections Institute and her Certificate as a Training Director at the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) in Longmont Colorado.  She was the first Pre-Service Training Coordinator for the Tennessee Community Corrections Association.Ms. McLeod received her training on Identifying and Responding to Elder Abuse through the American Probation and Parole Association in Jackson, TN.  She has written and developed a training program on Elder Abuse and Investigative Techniques, adapted a version of the Character Counts Program applicable to adults in a business atmosphere, a “Back to Kindergarten” basic for adult business personnel, taught Community Corrections Standards and Policy and Procedure, and participated in many workshops in the field of Corrections.  She is trained in Advanced Moral Reconation Therapy, a systematic step-by-step treatment strategy designed to enhance self-image, promote growth of a positive, productive identity and facilitate the development of higher stages of moral reasoning.  She attended the Advanced Management Strategies for a Diverse Workplace at the National Institute of Corrections.  She also is trained in Level of Service/ Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI), a risk/needs assessment tool, and is a Certified Cognitive Behavioral Facilitator.

Judy is the daughter of Emogene B. Kite and the late Roy D. Kite.  She enjoys spending time with her husband Mike and son Jonathan.  She attends the First United Methodist Church where she is  active  with the UpWard Ministry.

West Tennessee Workforce Investment Board Lauds Local Progress

More than 1,400 youth from West Tennessee were able to find summer jobs at 350 different employers. Of those participants ages 14-24, 30 were able to secure full-time employment as part of a job stimulus program, according to a report from a local agency. The program was part of a joint effort between the West Tennessee Workforce Investment Board, Southwest Human Resource Agency and the state government.

On Thursday, the annual meeting between the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development and West Tennessee Workforce Investment Board was held at the Holiday Inn.

Linda Sampson, with the state labor department, said this program was funded by stimulus money and was a success."When you hear about the stimulus bill, you don't hear people talk about things like this program," she said. "About $25 million was spent on this, and that had a trickle-down effect on our economy in Tennessee."

Twelve counties make up this organization's Local Workforce Investment Area. In addition to summary reports, awards were given to youth and adults who were participants in the Workforce Investment Board's SummerWorks Program. Richard Davis of Blue Goose received an award as an adult member of the program. After working for more than 20 years in the tool and die industry, Davis was laid off last year."There wasn't anything out there for me to be placed in," he said. He went to the investment board's regional office and asked for help. The organization paid for his classes at Tennessee Technology Center."Now I'm training in drafting and CAD skills so I can better myself so employers will be willing to hire me," he said. "If it hadn't been for the Workforce Investment Board, I wouldn't be able to take these courses. I couldn't train myself."

Davis was one of 1,196 people who were a part of this year's adult worker program, said Blake Carroll. He is a spokesman for the West Tennessee Workforce Investment Board. The 24 awards given to participants Thursday were for people who have been able to find work as a result of the program."They successfully went through the program and performed wonderfully," he said. "They are all successfully employed."