Preston Elrod, PhD-Department of Criminal Justice, Eastern Kentucky University
Dr. Preston Elrod received his Ph.D. and M.A. in Sociology from Western Michigan University, and his B.A. from Presbyterian College. He currently serves as Professor in the Department of Criminal Justice at Eastern Kentucky University where he teaches courses on juvenile justice, crime prevention, and school safety. Among his published works are studies on citizens’ attitudes toward the death penalty, juvenile justice policy development, public attitudes toward electronic monitoring, the effectiveness of interventions for juvenile probationers, and the experiences of adolescent jail inmates.
Dr. Elrod is the former Co-Director of a model school-based delinquency reduction program and he has worked in juvenile justice as a court intake officer and as the supervisor of a juvenile probation department. He is involved in a variety of community activities and serves as a prison visitor, co-director of a community delinquency prevention project, and is a member of the Madison County Delinquency Prevention Council. His present research focuses on school crime and victimization.
R. Scott Ryder, JD-Tribal Court Administrator, ICWA Attorney, Instructor, Glenn Oaks Community College
R. Scott Ryder graduated magna cum laude from Wittenberg University, Springfield, Ohio, in 1971 with a B.A. in History. He attended Indiana University School of Law in Bloomington, Indiana, where he received his Juris Doctor degree in 1974. He was admitted to practice law in Michigan on January 17, 1975 and continues in the practice of law to the present day. He began his involvement in juvenile justice in 1975 while working as an assistant prosecuting attorney in Shiawassee County, Michigan with primary responsibility for all proceedings in the juvenile court. His involvement in the juvenile justice system continued after leaving Shiawassee County as he served as the Chief Hearing Referee and then Research Referee for the next 25 years in Kalamazoo County, Michigan, Juvenile Court and later in the Family Court. After retiring from his referee position in May of 2004 he became the Juvenile Court Director for St. Joseph County Michigan, a position he held until 2007 when he went to work for the Nottawaseppi Huron Band of the Potawatomi as their Tribal Court Administrator. Presently he serves the Tribe as Tribal Court Administrator and represents the Tribe in state courts as their Indian Child Welfare Attorney. In addition to working in the courts, he has extensive training and teaching experience. He was an instructor/trainer for the Michigan Judicial Institute, the Michigan Department of Human Services and the Michigan Supreme Court Administrator’s Office. He taught at the college level as an Adjunct Assistant Professor at Western Michigan University and as an Instructor at Glenn Oaks Community College. He also published in the area of juvenile justice and has a limited private legal practice. When he is not working, teaching or writing, his hobbies include soccer officiating, golf, and reading. He is married to Denise and has three adult sons and an adult step-daughter.
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