Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Abdallai “Abe” Hassan and Felix Raymond Montez, and the reappointment of William L. Collins, Jr., Freddie L. Davis-English, Kathryn S. Richtman, Richard Smith, and Emily Tischer to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC).

Collins, of St. Paul, is the executive director of the YWCA of St. Paul, a position he has held since 1995. Previously, he was the grants administrator with the Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Office of Drug Policy and Violence Prevention. Collins has been an active volunteer in the Summit, University and Frogtown neighborhoods for over 40 years, serving on the St. Paul African American Leadership Council, Ramsey County Workforce Investment Board’s Youth Council, Pan African Community Endowment Fund of the St. Paul Foundation, and the Minnesota Twins Community Fund. He is also a member of the board of directors and vice president of the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation. Collins, who has been a member of the JJAC since 2001, is reappointed to another four-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Davis-English, of Plymouth, retired in 2007 as a division director with the Hennepin County Department of Community Corrections. She worked for Hennepin County for 26 years as a juvenile corrections unit supervisor in its Home School, corrections unit supervisor in its Probation and Parole Division, and division manager and superintendent in its Juvenile Detention Division. Davis-English’s community activities include serving as a member and recent past chair of the Federal Home Loan Bank of Des Moines Affordable Housing Board of Directors, a charter member and former chair of the Juvenile Female Advisory Committee, and a member of the of the Female Offender Task Force, Minnesota Supreme Court Race Bias Implementation Committee, and African American Family Services. Davis-English, who has been a member of the JJAC since 2007, is reappointed to a four-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Hassan, of Woodbury, is the director of training and MnDOT R.O.A.D.S. program manager with Merrick Community Services in St. Paul. A native of Sudan, Hassan chairs the Ramsey County East African Task Force, advises the Ramsey and Hennepin County Attorney’s offices on East African refugees and cultural affairs, is a member of the African American Leadership Council, St. Paul Police Department Advisory Council, Ramsey County Workforce Investment Board’s Youth Council, East Metro OIC, and the Apprenticeship Training Coordinator. Hassan replaces Christine Bray, who resigned, to complete a four-year term that expires on January 3, 2011.

Montez, of Minneapolis, is a correctional counselor with Lutheran Social Services in Minneapolis, where he supervises work release residents in a halfway home setting. He has 11 years of experience working with people with mental health and chemical dependency issues. He is a member of the Minnesota Association of Resources for Recovery and Chemical Health, Association for Addiction Professionals, and American Corrections Association. Montez is currently pursuing a master of science degree in mental health counseling, holds a post-baccalaureate certificate in addition studies from the University of Minnesota, and a bachelor of science degree in psychology from Excelsior College in Albany, New York. Montez, who replaces Judge Gail Chang Bohr on the JJAC, is appointed to a four-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Richtman, of St. Paul, manages the juvenile delinquency section of the Ramsey County Attorney’s office’s prosecution division, where she is responsible for the prosecution of all juvenile delinquency cases. She has been an assistant Ramsey County Attorney since 1992, and has 19 years of experience as a prosecutor. Richtman co-chairs the American Bar Association’s Juvenile Justice Section, as well as the Minnesota County Attorneys Association Juvenile Law Committee, is a founding member and chair of the Hmong Youth Task Force, and a member of the Ramsey County Youth at Risk Committee. Richtman, who has been a member of the JJAC since 2008, is reappointed to a four-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Smith, of Plymouth, is a Fourth Judicial District Guardian ad Litem and an Indian Child Welfare Act specialist with Hennepin County District Court. An enrolled member of the Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe Indians, he previously was a youth intervention supervisor with the Ginew/Golden Eagles Minneapolis American Indian Center. Smith holds a bachelor of science degree in social work from St. Cloud State University, an associate of arts degree from Northland Community College in Thief River Falls, and has had advanced training in the Indian Child Welfare Act. Smith, who has been a member of the JJAC since 2001, is reappointed to another four-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

Tischer, of Rochester, is an undergraduate student at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, where she anticipates receiving her bachelor’s degree in social work in the spring of 2009. She interns with Hennepin County Juvenile Probation, is president of Phi Alpha Social Work Honor Society, a facilities coordinator with Augsburg’s Residence Life, an acquisitions assistant at the Augsburg College Library, volunteers at The People’s Center/Minneapolis Health Insurance Aid Program, and at St. Martin’s Table. Tischer, who has been a member of the JJAC since 2008, is reappointed as a youth member to a four-year term that expires on January 7, 2013.

The Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee awards grants and carries out the state plan of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The committee consists of 18 members appointed by the Governor.