FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
OJA Board Approves Deputy Director
OKLAHOMA CITY, AUG. 17, 2021—Board members of the Oklahoma Board of Juvenile Affairs today affirmed Greg Delaney as the Office of Juvenile Affairs (OJA) deputy director of the agency’s division of juvenile and treatment services. Approval of this appointment was requested by OJA Executive Director Rachel Holt and is required by Oklahoma Statutes.
Delaney has served the past 23 years in supervisory positions with OJA and has been OJA Juvenile Services Division District 6 supervisor since January 2010. District 6 covers 15 southwestern Oklahoma counties.
As deputy director for juvenile and treatment services, Delaney will oversee the Juvenile Services Unit (JSU) responsible for intake, probation and parole services, supervision and placement of juveniles and also the contracting for, monitoring and evaluation of residential and treatment programs other than institutions and community-based youth services agencies.
Delaney joined OJA in 1993 as a juvenile justice specialist, providing intake, probation and parole services in Grady and Caddo counties. He was named juvenile justice supervisor in Grady County in 1997, and has been a district supervisor since 2000. Before joining OJA, Delaney worked four years for the Department of Human Services providing casework services for clients and helping with permanency planning and adoption services to children and families in Grady and Caddo counties.
“Greg understands the importance of treatment and support for the youth in our care,” said OJA Executive Director Rachel Holt. “He has proven to be an effective leader and is highly respected by those who work for him. Greg has helped introduce trauma-informed care and evidence-based treatment programs. He also has strong relationships with many of OJA’s service partners throughout District 6 and has worked well with law enforcement officers, lawyers and judges in the area. His commitment to OJA and the youth and families we serve will be integral in his leadership of our dedicated JSU staff working in all 77 counties.”
“I appreciate the confidence the board has shown in naming me to this key role in the agency,” Delaney said. “I have a comprehensive understanding of OJA’s community based services, including treatment planning and service delivery. OJA is becoming more focused on effective needs-based treatment for youth in order to improve outcomes, and I believe I can effectively assist our juvenile services staff to continue the agency’s progress in that direction.”
Delaney fills a vacancy created when Shelley Waller retired June 30 as deputy director. She worked nearly 37 years for OJA, the past five years as deputy director.
Delaney earned a double major bachelor’s degree in political science and business administration from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma and completed 33 hours of graduate work in the University of Oklahoma’s public administration program.
Since 2010, Delaney has served as a member of the statewide Post Adjudication Review Board (PARB) and currently is chairman of the advisory board, which oversees local PARB boards that review cases and information concerning the foster care program and children who are in state custody. Since 1999, he has participated in the development and delivery of new worker training at OJA. Delaney has served on the Anadarko Board of Education since 2011, and currently serves as the board’s president.
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For additional information, contact:
Michael McNutt / Communications Director
at 405-249-6072 (cell)
michael.mcnutt@oja.ok.gov
Paula Christiansen / Public Information Officer
at 405-530-2814 (office) or 405-620-6483 (cell)
paula.christiansen@oja.ok.gov
