Rebecca Balletto is the research director for the Pinkerton Fellowship Initiative at the Research and Evaluation Center. Her previous projects with the Center included a study of a program that promoted cognitive and behavioral change in adolescents detained in New York City. Her study of harm reduction and outreach practices for injection drug users won the Claude Hawley Award for best masters thesis in the graduate program of John Jay College. Rebecca is a graduate of the University of Liverpool (UK) and she holds a masters in criminal justice from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.

Jeffrey A. Butts is the director of the Research and Evaluation Center. His work focuses on policies and programs for at-risk and disconnected youth, especially those involved with the justice system. He has 30 years of experience in research, program evaluation, policy analysis, and direct services. Previously, he was a research fellow with Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, director of the Program on Youth Justice at the Urban Institute in Washington, DC, and senior research associate at the National Center for Juvenile Justice. He is a graduate of the University of Oregon and earned the Ph.D. in sociology and social work from the University of Michigan. More information.

Benjamin Chambers is a consultant with the Research and Evaluation Center on issues related to communications, publications, and social media. He works with the National Juvenile Justice Network as well as providing communications assistance to other nonprofit and public interest groups. Benjamin launched and was the founding editor of the Reclaiming Futures blog, where he also developed social media channels on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Previously, Benjamin worked for the Multnomah County (Oregon) Department of Community Justice and the National Office of Reclaiming Futures at Portland State University. He is a graduate of the University of Chicago.

Ginny Chan is a Rudin Fellow in the Research and Evaluation Center and a Ph.D. student in the Forensic Psychology (Clinical track) program at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York. As part of  her appointment as a Rudin Fellow, she works with the New City Department of Probation. Originally from Singapore, she worked on research with the Singapore Prisons Service and she was a research assistant in the Psychological Assessment and Research Branch, Ministry of Education in Singapore. Ginny graduated with honors in psychology from the National University of Singapore.

Renata Cobbs Fletcher is a consultant for the Research and Evaluation Center as well as other public and private agencies and universities. She has expertise in researching, designing, implementing and distilling the effects of social change initiatives and programs to support distressed communities. Previously, Renata served in several executive capacities, including Vice President for Youth Connections & Reentry, with Public/Private Ventures (P/PV), a national nonprofit research organization. During eight years at P/PV, Ms. Cobbs Fletcher provided fund-raising, project design, and staff supervision for initiatives with combined budgets exceeding $15 million. She graduated (cum laude) from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia.

Desheen Evans is a research assistant in the Research and Evaluation Center and a graduate student in criminal justice policy and administration at John Jay College. She has extensive experience in the field of social services, mainly working with at-risk and disconnected youth. She recently participated in a study abroad program in collaboration with the departments of sociology at John Jay College and the University of Genova in Italy where she studied developments in cultural criminology. Desheen is a graduate of Mercy College (psychology) and she holds a masters degree from Wurzweiler School of Social Work, Yeshiva University with a concentration in community organizing.

Douglas Evans is a research analyst with the Research and Evaluation Center overseeing research on juvenile justice initiatives, including policies that divert management and resources from state institutions to community-based programs. Previously, he was an assistant professor of criminal justice at Sullivan Community College. He is a Ph.D. candidate at Indiana University-Bloomington, currently working on his dissertation, which is an exploration of sex offender laws and the impact of registration on offenders. The research is being supported by a grant from the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers.

Jennifer Lynn-Whaley is a consultant for the Research and Evaluation Center. Her work focuses on alternatives to incarceration and the expansion of positive youth development and trauma informed care models for at-risk and justice-involved youth. She has published work on juvenile transfer laws, children of incarcerated parents, mental health courts, mental health services in the juvenile justice system, and developmental psychology and student misbehavior. Previously, Jennifer was a senior research associate at the Chief Justice Earl Warren Institute on Law and Social Policy at University of California, Berkeley Law. She earned the Ph.D. from American University’s School of Public Affairs in the Department of Justice, Law, and Society.

Cassandra Ramdath is a Rudin Fellow with the Research and Evaluation Center and a Ph.D. student at John Jay College of Criminal Justice. As part of  her appointment as a Rudin Fellow, she works with the New City Department of Law. She was a probation and parole officer in Canada and has previously worked as a research assistant with Professors David Kennedy and David Brotherton. Cassandra was born in Toronto, Canada, and graduated with honors from the University of Ottawa. She also earned the MA criminology from Bond University in Queensland, Australia.

Rhoda Ramdeen is the managing research assistant at the Research and Evaluation Center. Prior to joining the Center staff in 2010, she was an assistant to the director of the Business and Finance Department at John Jay College. Before that, she held positions with the Nassau County (NY) Court, the New York State Assembly, and New York City’s Investigation, Revenue & Enforcement Administration. Ms. Ramdeen holds a BA in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, where she is currently pursuing a masters degree in public administration.

Kathleen Tomberg is a research analyst and the IRB Manager (Institutional Review Board) for the Research and Evaluation Center. She has worked on an evaluation of a therapeutic program for incarcerated adolescents, the creation of a youth reentry directory, and the study of sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic Church. Her interests include therapeutic work with juvenile victims and offenders, as well as counseling the severely mentally ill. Ms. Tomberg is a graduate of Furman University and she earned the masters in forensic mental health counseling from the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York.