Trish Geran is the author of three authorized biographical books and a historian of the Black experience in her native home-Las Vegas.  She is a three-time international award winning documentary producer, a civil rights activist who has been recognized for her efforts by the NAACP, National Action Network, United States political figures, and an array of organizations. She is the recipient of the Martin Luther King Presidential Award, Nevada Humanities Judith Weinzeler, and the Universal Peace Federation Ambassador of Peace. She holds a business marketing degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and is an honorary Indiana University “Hoosier” alumnus.

Director John “Jack” Martin of the Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services has over twenty years of juvenile justice experience. Mr. Martin brings an eclectic range of experiences to the Department having served in California, Arizona and Hawaii before arriving in Nevada in 2009. His unique leadership style and direct experience rebuilding troubled systems gives him a unique perspective when incorporating innovative and time tested programs into our juvenile system.

Mr. Martin is a believer in second chances for children and has dedicated his professional life to improving the systems that serve children and families. Mr. Martin graduated from the University of Phoenix with his BS in Criminal Justice Administration. Mr. Martin is married to his long time sweet heart and has four beautiful boys.

Dr. Amy Magnus is an Assistant Professor of Political Science and Criminal Justice at California State University, Chico. She earned her Ph.D. in Criminology, Law and Society from the University of California, Irvine with emphases in Law, Society, and Culture and Race and Justice. She also has a Master’s degree in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with minors in Philosophy and Criminal Justice from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.

Dr. Magnus teaches, researches, and publishes about the intersections of crime, social inequality, and structural deprivation in American society. Her education and expertise center the root causes of crime, including the structural forces in American society that produce strain, hardship, hyper-punitiveness, and conditions and histories in which certain communities have been hyper-policed, arrested at higher rates, and incarcerated in greater numbers.

A Nevadan herself, Dr. Magnus’ upbringing in southern Nevada shaped – and continues to shape – her interest in crime, inequality, and social justice. Much of her recent scholarship examines the lived experiences of vulnerable people living rurally in the western United States, rural policing and domestic violence, the impact of rurality on access to resources and social justice, and the lived experiences of people (and their families) who are incarcerated in rural carceral facilities.

She is the author of the forthcoming book, Uphill Battle: The Politics of Rural Inequality, Grassroots Activism, and Social Justice.

Jaclyn Winter is the Specialty Court Administrator with the Eighth Judicial District Court. Jaclyn oversees the clinical coordinators involved in the 13 Specialty Court programs, including program development and oversight, fiscal, and grants. Jaclyn is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor with the State of Nevada. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services with a Minor in Addiction Prevention from University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  She has a Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.  Jaclyn has worked with adults, adolescents, and children for the past sixteen years within the judicial system and various community based providers. During Jaclyn’s profession she has provided individual and group counseling, substance abuse counseling, and clinical case management. Jaclyn’s clinical approach, looks at the client as a whole, how the client feels mentally, physically, and identifies systemic barriers for a client’s success. Jaclyn is passionate about advocating for the best interest of the clients and programs she works with to allow the clients to flourish and the Court programs to thrive.