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Title 10, O.S., fl 7302-1.1 authorizes the Board of Juvenile Affairs (Board) as the governing body for The Office of Juvenile Affairs. The Board consists of seven members appointed by the Governor with the advice and consent of the Oklahoma Senate. The term of office for a board member is six years. Appointments are limited to two terms. The Board meets monthly in a manner consistent with the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act [Title 25, O.S., fl 301 et seq.]. The Board of Juvenile Affairs was created February 1, 1995. On February 14, 1995, the seven (7) members of the Board were appointed by Governor Frank Keating with the advice and consent of the Senate. The Board of Juvenile Affairs sets broad policy for the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) and is the rulemaking body for OJA. The board is responsible for reviewing and approving the budget, assisting the agency in planning activities related to the priorities and policies of the agency, providing a public forum for receiving comments and disseminating information to the public, and establishing contracting procedures for the agency and guidelines for rates of payment for services provided by contract. |
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Deanna Hartley-Kelso, Chairperson is a native of Fort Worth, Texas, is a citizen of the Chickasaw Nation and currently serves as its Attorney General and Administrator for the Justice Division. Prior to serving in this capacity, Deanna also served as General Counsel for the Legal Division and was also the first Legislative Counsel for the Chickasaw Nation Legislature. Her prior employment includes general corporate work as Associate Corporate Counsel for Color Tile, Inc. in Fort Worth, Texas and General Counsel for Marketing Investors Corp. in Dallas, Texas. She is a 1993 graduate of Tulsa University Law School where she earned her J.D. and a 1989 graduate of the University of Texas at Arlington where she earned her B.A. in Political Science with a Minor in Business Administration. Deanna is licensed to practice law by the State of Texas and the State of Oklahoma as well as the tribal courts of the Chickasaw Nation and Muskogee (Creek) Nation. She also is a member of the Oklahoma Indian Bar Association, Native American Bar Association, the Federal Bar Association and a ten-year member of The College of the State Bar of the State of Texas. As for community activities, she is the Vice Chair of the Chickasaw Foundation Board of Trustees, a citizen appointee to the Arkansas Riverbed Authority, an adjunct professor at East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, and a previous volunteer for North Texas Legal Services-American Indian Law Project. Deanna also serves on numerous other boards and committees within the Chickasaw Nation as well as representing the Chickasaw Nation at the United Nations Working Group on the Draft Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in Geneva, Switzerland. |
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Donnie L. Nero- Co-Chair is the president of Connors State College in Warner, Oklahoma with campuses in Muskogee. His previous employment includes serving as the provost of Tulsa Community College - Southeast Campus. Nero was employed at Tulsa Community College - Southeast Campus for 15 years where he served in numerous capacities including: member of the development team, coordinator of self-study, coordinator of multicultural education, coordinator of staff development, coordinator of marketing management, instructor of psychology of human relations and dean of student services. Nero earned his bachelor’s degree in health, physical education and recreation at East Central University where he received the distinguished alumnus award in 2002. He earned both his master’s in educational administration and his doctorate in occupational and adult education at Oklahoma State University. Nero has received various awards including the Phi Theta Kappa International Shirley B. Gordon Award of Distinction and Phi Theta Kappa Distinguished CEO for the Oklahoma/Arkansas Region. He is a founder of the Oklahoma Legal Issues Conference, a graduate of Leadership Tulsa Class XVIII and Oklahoma State Coordinator of the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators. Nero has also served as an Oklahoma Quality Award Examiner, president of the Muskogee Area Educational Consortium, Indian Capital Technology Center and the Muskogee Rotary club. He has also served on the board of the Muskogee Chamber of Commerce, Greater Muskogee Development Corporation, Tulsa Area United Way, Volunteer Center of Tulsa, Broken Arrow Chamber of Commerce, Big Brothers and Sisters of Tulsa and numerous other organizations |
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George W. Lindley spent 30 years serving the citizens of Oklahoma, first as Special Judge and Associate District Judge, before being elected District Judge in 1978. He was Presiding Judge of the Southwest Judicial Administrative District from 1994 until his retirement in December of 2004. In addition, he was Chairman of the Oklahoma Trial Judges Association, Chairman of the Assembly of Presiding Judges, Presiding Judge of the Appellate Court on the Judiciary, a committee chairman for the National Conference of State Trial Judges, a National Center for State Courts faculty member, and an instructor for the National College of the State Judiciary. A Duncan native, Judge Lindley graduated from the University of Oklahoma and obtained his law degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1970. His wife, Susan, is currently a seminary student. |
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Ms. Janice E. Smith was appointed by Governor Brad Henry to represent Congressional District 3 and is representing the area of education. Ms. Smith has been in education for 20 years. She has served as a classroom teacher school counselor (both elementary and secondary), elementary principal, and as the director of alternative education. Ms. Smith graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State University in Weatherford with a master in education. Janice has been married to Dennis for 35 years. He is the District Attorney for District 2. Together they have four grown children; Christy, Lonnie, Lance and Cylie, and five grandchildren. |
Last Modified on 05/05/2013