OJA Executive Director Rachel Holt Named to Serve on Two National Juvenile Justice Leadership Groups
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 22, 2022) – Office of Juvenile Affairs Executive Director Rachel Holt has been named to serve on two national groups focused on juvenile justice issues.
Holt has been appointed to serve on the board of directors for the Council of Juvenile Justice Administrators (CJJA). She will serve as chair of the council’s South Region.
“Your knowledge, expertise and vision will be invaluable in helping us guide the organization and continue our mission,” council President Steven Lafreniere wrote in Holt’s appointment letter.
CJJA is a national nonprofit organization focused on improving juvenile justice systems, local secure correctional and residential facilities, services, programs and, most importantly, long-term outcomes for youth and their families. CJJA fulfills its mission through educational activities and programs as well as research and technical assistance projects.
CJJA represents the state juvenile justice system CEOs and various local jurisdictions across the country. It is focused on the improvement of local juvenile correctional services, programs and practices, so the youths within the systems succeed when they return to the community.
CJJA fulfills its mission through educational activities and programs as well as research and technical assistance projects. Education activities include up to three annual meetings for members offering sessions on best practices and evidence-based approaches. The meetings convene leaders from each state and several large counties to share information, identify issues and strategies to address them, and form a national voice for youth corrections.
Holt also has been asked to join the Juvenile Justice Leadership Network (JJLN), which allows public juvenile justice agency leaders to have open and honest dialogues on juvenile justice reform issues.
“Leaders considered for the Juvenile Justice Leadership Network have shown the ability to lead a progressive reform agenda – designed at least in part to reduce the institutionalization of juveniles and develop a more comprehensive continuum of care in their state or local agency,” according to JJLN’s website. “These leaders have demonstrated a commitment, no matter how short or long the tenure in their position, to undertaking progressive reforms. This Network is a small, closed group that does not accept self nominations or nominations of others for participation.”
JJLN, hosted by the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform, meets twice a year and helps strengthen peer support and the sharing of lessons learned from ongoing reform efforts across the country.
As OJA’s executive director, Holt is responsible for the overall management of the agency's operated and contracted programs and services. She works directly with the agency's governing board to facilitate agency priorities, planning and operational performance.
“I have dedicated the past 15 years to juvenile justice, and I am honored to serve as the director of Oklahoma’s juvenile justice agency," said Holt. "I am informed and inspired by state directors across the country as OJA works to make Oklahoma the top juvenile justice agency in the country. The national groups I have been asked to join and serve help me to bring best practices to Oklahoma and also share the success of our agency with other states.”
“Congratulations to Executive Director Holt in her recognition with these national appointments,” said Secretary of Human Services Justin Brown. “We know collaborative partnerships like those represented in these groups can create transformational positive change for all children and families.”
Before being appointed OJA’s director, Holt served as OJA’s chief operating officer and senior general counsel. Before that, she was an assistant attorney general assigned as OJA’s general counsel and prior to that she served as OJA’s deputy general counsel.
Holt, a native of Philadelphia, graduated cum laude from George Washington University with a major in criminal justice. In 2004, she and her husband David, a native of Oklahoma City, moved to Oklahoma and she began her studies at the University of Oklahoma College of Law. Upon graduation from law school, she was named an Oklahoma County assistant district attorney, where she served in the juvenile division prosecuting juvenile delinquents and youthful offenders, and assisting with deprived matters. The Holts have two children.
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Office of Juvenile Affairs Executive Director Rachel Holt
