Saint Paul – Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Jean E. Hancock, and the reappointment of Chong Y. Lo, Judge Michael J. Mayer, and Brenda J. Pautsch to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC). All four are appointed to four-year terms that expire on January 6, 2014.

Hancock, of Stillwater, is a police officer, paramedic, and school resource officer with the Woodbury Department of Public Safety. She has been a Woodbury police officer since 1999, and was a correctional officer and patrol intern with the Dakota County Sheriff’s office prior to that. She has designed and implemented the first youth court program in Washington County, and the Peer Council for Offense Resolution, a restorative justice youth court diversion option currently available in the Woodbury and Cottage Grove High Schools. Hancock earned her bachelor of arts degree from the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. Hancock replaces Amanda Heu on the JJAC as a representative of law enforcement.

Lo, of St. Could, is an assistant public defender in St. Cloud where he handles juvenile cases. He previously served in the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps as chief of civil law, chief of adverse actions and legal assistance, chief of claims/deputy chief of justice, and chief of operations/chief of magistrate court. Lo earned his law degree from the University of Washington Law School in Seattle, and his bachelor of arts degree from Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. Lo, who has been a member of the JJAC since 2006, is reappointed as a representative of court personnel.

Mayer, of Eagan, is a First Judicial District trial court judge, where he serves as one of the juvenile court judges. Prior to his appointment to the bench by Governor Pawlenty in 2004, Mayer was an attorney and partner with the Eagan law firm of Grannis and Hauge. He has been a member of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee since 1995, chaired the committee until his appointment to the bench, and currently serves as vice-chair. Mayer is also the midwest regional chair of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice in Washington, DC, and has been a member of the federal advisory committee for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Mayer is reappointed as a representative of court personnel.

Pautsch, of Gaylord, is the drug court manager with the Fifth Judicial District Court Administration in Mankato. Her 23-year career in corrections and the courts includes having previously served as a juvenile and special programs supervisor with Blue Earth County Community Corrections in Mankato, and a juvenile probation agent. Pautsch is active in the Gaylord community, where she has been a member of the Gaylord City Council since 1995 and is a past president of the council. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Mankato State University. Pautsch, who has been a member of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee since 2004, is appointed as a representative of local-elected officials.

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.