Advisory Board

The National Treatment Court Resource Center (NTCRC) Advisory Board provides expertise,  guidance, and development insight to NTCRC leadership regarding the fulfillment of its mission, establishing areas of focus, and identifying needed resources for the field. Below are the members of the board for 2022 – 2023.

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Courtney Ballantine

Mr. Courtney Ballantine is a 20-year veteran in law enforcement. He is a Lieutenant with the Alexandria Police Department and has held many different positions including Patrol Commander, School Resource Unit Supervisor, and Records Management Commander. He is currently the Senior Public Information Officer for the Police Department. In 2008, he was instrumental in creating the Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) in Alexandria, Virginia. He helped neighboring northern Virginia jurisdictions develop their CIT programs and has trained over 250 first responders in verbal de-escalation techniques and signs and symptoms of mental health. Beginning in 2008, he helped create the local CIT Advisory Committee which brought all city agencies together to help guide the local program. Additionally, he served on the State CIT Coalition, helping jurisdictions across Virginia start their programs and preparing them for continued success.

Shannon Carey

Shannon Carey, Ph.D.

Dr. Shannon Carey, Co-President and Senior Research Associate at NPC Research, has worked in the areas of criminal justice and substance abuse treatment for over 20 years, particularly in the area of treatment courts and cost analyses. Altogether, she has been involved in performing process, outcome and/or cost evaluations in over 400 adult, juvenile, family, reentry, DWI, veterans, and federal treatment courts across the U.S. She also provides consulting and training in treatment courts operating in Australia, Chile, New Zealand, and England. She is currently co-Principal Investigator (PI) on a national study of family treatment courts funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and managed by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ). She is also PI on a process, outcome, and cost-benefit study of the nation’s first opiate intervention court in Buffalo, New York. Dr. Carey was involved with developing and writing the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP) Adult Drug Court Best Practice Standards as well as the Family Treatment Court Best Practice Standards and has assisted several states in writing their state specific standards for all types of treatment courts. She also assisted in developing treatment court certification processes as well as a peer review process that has been launched in several states where treatment court teams visit and give feedback and support to each other in implementing research-based best practices. Dr. Carey earned her Ph.D. from Portland State University in Systems Science and Applied Psychology. She is also a NADCP faculty member for the National Drug Court Institute (NDCI) and the National Center for DWI Courts (NCDC).

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Abby Frutchey

Ms. Abby Frutchey is a 2006 graduate of the Washington County Adult Drug Treatment Court. She is the Substance Use Response Coordinator for Community Caring Collaborative and has ten years of experience practicing as a licensed substance use treatment provider, specializing in treatment of those involved in the criminal justice system. Ms. Frutchey has worked with the Washington County Adult Drug Treatment Court since 2012 as both a treatment provider and clinical supervisor. Ms. Frutchey has been a member of the NADCP since 2016.  She has worked closely with NADCP on projects of peer engagement and treatment court advocacy and was recently appointed as the first treatment court graduate to sit on the NADCP Board of Directors. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Social Work program at the University of Maine. 

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Carolyn Hardin, M.P.A.

Ms. Carolyn Hardin is the Chief of Training and Research for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP), a nongovernmental organization based in Washington, D.C. She oversees the daily operations for NADCP’s three divisions: National Drug Court Institute (NDCI), National Center for DWI Courts (NCDC), and Justice for Vets. She also oversees the development and implementation of training for the organization. Ms. Hardin currently travels nationally and internationally, assisting teams with planning and operating successful drug courts. She received her master’s degree in public administration from the University of Akron in Ohio and her B.A. in public administration from Talladega College in Talladega, Alabama. Her work experience includes resource development and acquisition, program planning and evaluation, and MIS database management. Ms. Hardin has supervised probationers, parolees, and federal inmates and has supervised special caseloads including sex offenders, dual-diagnosis offenders, and violent offenders.

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John Haroldson, J.D.

Mr. John Haroldson is the first Latino elected to serve as District Attorney in the State of Oregon and has served as a prosecutor since 1988. Mr. Haroldson’s commitment to Drug Treatment Court programs is underscored by his proactive and direct engagement with the Benton County Drug Treatment Court Program, a program in its 18th year of successful operation that has been recognized as a Mentor Court. Mr. Haroldson has served as adjunct faculty for the NADCP, National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), Conference of Western Attorneys General (CWAG), American Bar Association (ABA), University of Oregon School of Law, and Willamette University College of Law. He also serves on the Oregon Bench and Bar Commission on Professionalism, the Board of Directors for the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute, and the Oregon State University Board of Visitors on Minority Affairs. Mr. Haroldson has been recognized for excellence in prosecution by the Oregon Crime Victims Network and the Oregon Humane Society. He is also a recipient of the Oregon Bench and Bar’s Edwin J. Peterson Professionalism Award and the Oregon Hispanic Bar Association’s Paul J. De Muniz Professionalism Award.

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Michelle Hart, M.P.A.

Michelle Hart is a graduate of Northern Arizona University with a B.S. in criminal justice and a master’s in public administration. She worked in the field of probation, in Coconino County, AZ, for nearly 28 years; recently retired in June 2021. During her tenure in as a probation officer, she worked in various areas of supervision, such as juvenile probation, adult Intensive Probation and Adult DUI and Drug Court. In 2010, Ms. Hart became a Probation Supervisor and 2016, became the Deputy Chief of her department, the position she held at retirement.

 

Throughout her career, Ms. Hart has held a passion for training in the field of probation supervision and drug courts, along with implementing best practices to achieve the best outcomes for both officers and the clients served. In addition to training within her department, she has trained throughout the state of Arizona and nationally. In 2008, Ms. Hart began presenting at national conferences held by the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and the American Probation and Parole Association. She is a certified trainer in the areas of domestic violence and motivational interviewing. Ms. Hart is also a certified facilitator in the criminal thinking program Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) and National Curriculum and Training Institute’s cognitive behavior groups. Additionally, she has been trained in EPICS-II and SUSTAIN.

 

In 2012, Ms. Hart became a faculty member with the National Drug Court Institute. She continues in this capacity and has the honor of working with treatment court teams throughout the country, providing training, group facilitation activities and technical assistance.

 

Ms. Hart has been a board member of the Arizona Association of Drug Court Professionals since 2009, previously serving as Vice President and President. She also currently serves on the Advisory Board for the National Drug Court Resource Center, and the Advisory Council for the Rural Justice Collaborative.

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David Hartmann, Ph.D.

Dr. David J. Hartmann received his Ph.D. from the University of Chicago in 1987 and is currently Professor and Chair of the Department of Sociology and Interim Chair of the Department of Statistics at Western Michigan University. He has researched, taught and published in the areas of research ethics, urban sociology, quantitative and qualitative methods, substance abuse, and public education reform. Since 1987 he has been PI or Co-PI on over $5.3 million in research grants, has published approximately 70 refereed journal articles, book chapters, and research monographs and authored more than 250 sponsored reports. Dr. Hartmann has served on ethics advisory panels for institutions and professional organizations and as a consultant to state government, municipalities, large urban school districts, and charitable foundations.

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Gary Helle, M.S.W., L.C.S.W., B.C.D.

Mr. Gary Helle is a Veterans Justice Outreach Specialist with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs John J. Pershing V.A. Medical Center in Poplar Bluff, Missouri. He is responsible for justice outreach to 23 counties in southeast Missouri and five counties in northeast Arkansas. Mr. Helle was instrumental in the creation of the first rural multijurisdictional veterans court in the U.S., the Southeast Missouri Veterans Treatment Court, and the first federal re-entry veterans court with the Eastern District of Missouri. He also assists with veterans who are in traditional Drug Treatment Courts throughout southeast Missouri. Prior to working for the V.A., he was employed for the State of Missouri for 21 years. In 2001 and 2002, he trained with the 33rd Judicial Circuit in southeast Missouri in their family treatment court initiative. He holds a M.S.W. from the University of Missouri and a bachelor’s degree from Southeast Missouri State University. He is an adjunct instructor with the Department of Criminal Justice, Sociology, and Social Work at Southeast Missouri State University. Mr. Helle has provided presentations for the NADCP annual conference, Justice for Vets annual conference, and the Missouri Association of Treatment Court Professionals conferences.

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Kristina Pacheco

Ms. Kristina Pacheco is an enrolled member of the Pueblo of Laguna, where she lives and works from her home in the village of Paraje/Casa Blanca, New Mexico. She is a licensed alcohol and drug abuse counselor in the state of New Mexico and has over 20 years of experience in the field of substance abuse treatment and prevention. Prior to joining the Tribal Law and Policy Institute (TLPI) as a Tribal Healing to Wellness Court Specialist, she worked for the Pueblo of Laguna for 14 years as a Supervising Probation Officer (2004-2010), Lead Counselor (2010-2014), and Behavioral Health Program Manager (2014-2019). In 2007, Ms. Pacheco and the staff of the tribal court began the Pueblo of Laguna Healing to Wellness Court (HTWC). The HTWC was granted Mentor Court Status in 2017 by NADCP Drug Court Initiatives. Ms. Pacheco also provided training and technical assistance to other Native communities as a consultant.

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Noreen Plumage, M.A.

Ms. Noreen Plumage is the Director of Problem-Solving Courts for the state of South Dakota. She began her career with treatment courts as a DUI Court Program Coordinator at the community mental health and treatment facility in Pierre, South Dakota. In 2012, Ms. Plumage was selected for her current position as Statewide Director within the Unified Judicial System and since then has coordinated the development and expansion of drug, DUI, veterans, and mental health courts from three courts to 19. Before starting her career with the drug courts, she spent 11 years in education. Ms. Plumage graduated from South Dakota State University with a bachelor’s degree in education, from Minot State University with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and is currently completing a master’s degree in addiction studies at the University of South Dakota. In addition to her expertise in the statewide development of problem-solving courts and education, she has experience developing other programs from the ground up including a juvenile diversion program in Pierre and a serious habitual offender program in New Orleans, Louisiana. Ms. Plumage’s background merges with treatment, where her commitment is to effectively treat and supervise offenders within the community. Implementing and sustaining a drug court starts with a solid knowledge base and builds with continued exposure to passionate and knowledgeable professionals in the problem-solving court field.

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Jennifer Rivas

Ms. Jennifer Rivas is currently a Case Manager for the DUI Intensive Supervision Program (DISP) in Multnomah County, Oregon, a position she has occupied since 2016. Prior to working as a case manager for DISP, she served as a case manager for the Beaverton Sobriety Opportunity for Beginning Recovery (B-SOBR) DUI Intensive (DUII) Court program in Beaverton, Oregon from 2011-2016. Ms. Rivas brings her knowledge and experience as a former certified alcohol and drug counselor (CADC) for the state of Oregon (2009-2019) to add to her skill set as a case manager. Ms. Rivas also serves as a faculty member for NCDC since 2018. This position provides her the opportunity to travel the country providing technical assistance and training to other DUII courts. From 2012-2017 Ms. Rivas served as a peer reviewer for the Oregon Criminal Justice Commission, conducting peer reviews for treatment courts throughout the state of Oregon. Additionally, she has served on a grant review panel for the Oregon Criminal Justice commission for the 2014-2016 and the 2017-2019 biennium. Ms. Rivas remains passionate about treatment courts, and her areas of practice include innovative court enhancements, implementing best practices, trauma-informed case management, building community partnerships, community safety, and program sustainability.

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Hon. Robert T. Russell, Jr. (Retired)

Judge Robert Russell is an Associate Judge for Buffalo City Court and serves by appointment as an Erie County Court Judge. Judge Russell has been presiding over treatment courts since December of 1995, having created Buffalo’s Drug Treatment Court and Mental Health Treatment Court. In January of 2008, he created and began presiding over this country’s first Veterans Treatment Court. His work in the treatment court field led to his induction into the Hall of Fame of the NADCP and the Hall of Fame of Justice for Vets. He is the recipient of the 2014 White House Advocates for Action Award presented by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) and is the recipient of Awards of Merit from the American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, and the Erie County Bar Association.

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Souder Tate, J.D.

Mr. Souder Tate is a criminal defense attorney and sentencing advocate in Springfield, Missouri. He was admitted to the bar in 1985 and served as an elected prosecuting attorney from 1986 until 1990. Mr. Tate has volunteered as a defense representative on Missouri treatment courts for over 11 years, served two terms on the board of directors for the Missouri Association of Treatment Court Professionals and was on the training faculty for NDCI for four years. Mr. Tate received a B.A. in creative writing from Missouri State University in 1982 and a J.D. from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1985. He is trained on the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) and the Risk and Needs Triage (RANT®).

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Gregory Torain, M.Ed., LCPC

Mr. Gregory Torain currently serves as a Drug Policy Advisory for the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and manages the Adult Drug Court and Veterans Treatment Court Discretionary Grant Program.  Prior to working at BJA, Mr. Torain served as a State Project Officer (SPO) for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration (SAMHSA) Center for Substance Abuse and Prevention (CSAP) Division of State Programs (DSP). He was responsible for providing government oversight and guidance to states in response to the requirements of the Substance Abuse and Prevention Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant as well as State Discretionary Grants and the Synar youth tobacco initiative. Prior to CSAP, Mr. Torain served as a Public Health Advisor within SAMHSA’s Center for Substance Abuse and Treatment (CSAT). As a Public Health Advisor on the Criminal Justice Team, Mr. Torain provided government oversight to a portfolio of Specialty Court grantees that consisted of Adult Treatment Drug Courts, Veterans Treatment Courts, Juvenile Treatment Drug Courts, and Tribal Healing to Wellness Courts. Prior to working at SAMHSA, Mr. Torain worked several years as a behavioral health clinician within the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Drug Court Program in Baltimore City. In this role he served as a member of the drug court team providing treatment services to youth and their families involved in the juvenile drug court program.

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Kelly Van Develde

Kelly Van Develde is a Senior Program Manager for Technical Assistance at the Center for Court Innovation. In this role, Ms. Van Develde provides expert assistance to jurisdictions nationwide, and advises attorneys, judges, and other practitioners on issues relevant to drug courts, court-based opioid intervention programs, and other forms of problem-solving justice. Prior to joining the Center Ms. Van Develde was an Assistant District Attorney in the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. In that role, Ms. Van Develde was a member of the Alternative to Incarceration Bureau where she worked with several problem-solving courts. Ms. Van Develde is a graduate of Wellesley College and Brooklyn Law School.

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Tim Wynn

Mr. Timothy Wynn is a United States Marine Corps veteran who served from 1999-2003. During his enlistment he was stationed at Camp Lejeune. He also served in Iraq during the initial invasion in 2003 with the 2nd Military Police Battalion. He has an Honorable Discharge as a Sergeant (E-5). Mr. Wynn is a Veterans Certified Peer Specialist in the City of Philadelphia. He is currently the mentor coordinator of the Philadelphia Veterans Court Mentor program, which provides peer-to-peer support to veterans involved in the criminal justice system. Mr. Wynn is also a trainer and consultant for the Justice for Vets national training team.