The members of the Steering Committee include:

The Center for the Promotion of Mental Health in Juvenile Justice is guided by our Steering Committee, composed of both clinical researchers and representatives of major stakeholder groups in the field, including:

Joseph J. Cocozza, PhD, is the Vice President for Research at Policy Research Associates (PRA). He is an expert in the areas of juvenile justice and mental health, children and family services, and forensic evaluations. Dr. Cocozza directs The National Center for Mental Health and Juvenile Justice. His research focuses on developing improved policies and programs for the mental health needs of youth based on the best available research and practice. Prior to joining PRA in 1990, he served as Executive Director of the New York State Council on Children and Families, a state agency charged with improving the provision and coordination of services.

Edward J. Loughran is the Executive Director of the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) and is project director for the Performance-based Standards Initiative, which has as its major goal the improvement of conditions of confinement in juvenile correctional facilities. He served as Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services from 1985 to 1993. Prior to coming to Massachusetts in 1980, Mr. Loughran spent 10 years with the New York State Division for Youth operating programs for delinquent youths. He teaches in the criminal justice program at Suffolk University. He has served as consultant to a variety of juvenile justice agencies throughout the country. He co-authored the book Balancing Juvenile Justice.

Howard Snyder, PhD, has been the Director of Systems Research at the National Center for Juvenile Justice since 1981. The Center is the research division of the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges. He is also chair of the Research Council of the American Correctional Association. Funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, his research efforts provide the country with an accurate empirical understanding of juvenile crime and victimization trends and the activities of the juvenile justice system.

Eric Trupin, PhD, is Professor and Vice Chair in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He directed the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Children's Hospital and Medical Center for twelve years and is currently the Director of the Division of Public Behavioral Health and Justice Policy.

Ray Wahl has been the Utah Juvenile Court Administrator for the past 5 years. Prior to that, he worked for the Utah Department of Corrections. He has also served as the Director of Probation and Parole. Ray is the Past President of the American Probation and Parole Association, and a member of their Juvenile Justice Committee. Utah Juvenile Court is presently involved in several research projects including: factors that predict suicide, two assessment tools, the effectiveness of the state supervision sanctions and compliance with child welfare statutory guidelines.

The Steering Committee provides on-going support throughout the year and meets annually to review progress and provide guidance.