MEMBER RESOURCES
VCCJA Officer Voting
The following individuals have been nominated for the office with the VCCJA that are up for re-election. Use the tabs below to view a biography for each nominee for these offices. Below the biographies, you’ll find the ballot to cast your vote.
President Elect
Shelby P. Johnson-serves as Director for the Henrico County Community Corrections Program. She has been employed with Henrico County for 25 years. She has a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice and a master’s degree in Public Administration. Additionally, she is a graduate of the American Probation and Parole Association 6th Leadership Institute.
Shelby has several years of experience working with individuals in the Criminal Justice system, specifically with domestic violence offenses and individuals with substance use disorders. In recent years, this experience has expanded to working with individuals with mental health disorders. She is currently the Vice President of the Virginia Community Criminal Justice Association. As the President-Elect, she is optimistic in continuing to grow the Association and promote increased participation and advocacy by the membership.
Vice President
Maureen Anderson- graduated from Southeast Missouri State University with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice and a minor in Social Rehabilitation and Treatment. She began her Criminal Justice career in 2005 at the United States Probation Office in Manassas, VA, as a Senior U.S. Probation Clerk. In 2009, she started working for the Virginia Department of Corrections as a Probation and Parole Officer at District #29 in Fairfax, VA, where she was a Certified Gang Specialist for 6 years. In 2015 she started working in local community corrections as a Probation/Pretrial Officer at Criminal Justice Services (CJS) in Prince William County. In 2018 she was promoted to a Probation/Pretrial Manager, where she currently supervises the Probation/Pretrial Officer Team in Woodbridge.
Maureen has been an active member of VCCJA, since 2015, when she became a member of the Fundraising Committee. In 2016, she accepted the position of Fundraising Committee Co-Chair and has enjoyed bringing new ideas to the conference each year to assist in raising funds to support the association. In 2017, she joined the VCCJA Executive Committee when she was elected as the Northern Region Representative and held the position for 2 years. This was a great opportunity to support members of the VCCJA in the northern region by sharing information, networking, and hosting the annual regional picnic. Maureen is currently the VCCJA Treasurer where she has successfully handled the financial responsibilities of the association for the last 4 years. Additionally, she is a member of the Awards Committee and Supervisor Committee. She was part of the planning committee for the 2022 VCCJA Night In Vegas event and was part of the VCCJA Rebranding Steering Committee.
Maureen has enjoyed serving on the VCCJA Executive Committee the last 6 years and appreciates the opportunities she has had that have allowed her to see other aspects of the association. Maureen would be honored to serve in the position of VCCJA Vice-President to assist with continuing to advance community corrections in Virginia and foster an inclusive network for all membership. Working for an agency that is one of the pilot sites for the PSA, Maureen would play an integral role in bringing all agencies up to speed when the time comes to rollout the new assessment. She also believes that secondary trauma is important to all membership and would ensure all localities are setup with an infrastructure for support.
JoAnn McLaurin-Carpenter-is the Assistant Director of the Chesterfield County/Colonial Heights Community Corrections Services. JoAnn has worked in the field of community corrections for the past 19 years. Her career includes experience as a Pre Trial/Probation Officer supervising individuals with Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorders and as a Probation Supervisor for General District/Circuit Court unit. JoAnn is the chair of the VCCJA Probation Advancement Committee (PAC) and is a member of the Legislative Committee, Skill Enhancement and Employee Development (SEED) and the DCJS Training Advisory Group where she serves as a trainer. JoAnn received her Bachelor’s degree from Howard University and her Master’s from Virginia State University. Her mantra… Live Well, Laugh Often and Love Much!
Why I am the best candidate-
I would like to serve as the VCCJA Vice-President because I believe leadership is an action word. If you are a leader than you should be involved and giving your time to the process of improvement. Our field of service is important to the community, our stakeholders and the people we serve. I would like to have the opportunity to contribute to the conversation and collaboration of the Executive Board of the VCCJA.
What I hope to accomplish-
As a member of the VCCJA Executive Board I hope we would continue to accomplish the mission and vision of the association. To the continue to promote and laud the value of the work of Pre Trail and Probation. To advocate for the advancement of Pre Trail throughout the state, to ensure Probation quality assurance throughout the state, educate legislators and stakeholders about the benefits of community corrections services and provide training and resources for leadership, officers and staff.
April Higgs- is the Deputy Director at Loudoun County Community Corrections in Leesburg, Virginia. April has been in the Community Corrections/Pretrial field for almost 25 years and a member of the Virginia Community Criminal Justice Association (VCCJA) since 1999. She has served in various leadership capacities of VCCJA including the Executive Committee and Co-Chair of the Conference Committee. In 2011, she was elected to serve as the Northern Region Representative and was subsequently nominated, but declined to accept the nomination, due to other professional obligations. April also serves as the Northern Region representative for VCCJA on state of Virginia Batterer’s Intervention Certification Board and was previously elected Chair of this board. She has previously served on the Training Accreditation Committee for the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA). Locally at Loudoun County Community Corrections, April also oversees the Pretrial and Probation Divisions, Domestic Violence Unit, Electronic Monitoring Unit within the Department. She has been involved with research, development, and implementation of a Mental Health Docket, Drug Court, and most recently a Veteran’s Treatment Docket in Loudoun County. She has been a member of the Loudoun Domestic Abuse Response Team (DART) since its inception in 2004. She is a member of the Domestic Violence Steering Committee and was involved in the creation of the specialized Domestic Violence Docket in the Loudoun County Juvenile & Domestic Relations Court, which has served as a model court for interested parties across the state and nation to come and observe to implement their own versions. She is a member of the Loudoun County Fatality Review Team. In 2011, April received an award in recognition of outstanding service and commitment to addressing domestic violence in Loudoun County. In the same year, she was appointed to serve on the Virginia Supreme Court Advisory Committee on Domestic Violence Issues in Virginia’s Courts by Chief Justice Cynthia Kinser. In February 2016, April was selected by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia to serve on the Family and Intimate Partner Homicide Advisory Committee. April previously served as a trainer for DCJS for Basic Skills (Core Competencies) teaching domestic violence skills and has presented at local, state, and national trainings and conferences. In October 2020, she presented to U.S. and International employees of Verizon Cooperation on the connection between technology and domestic violence. Prior to working in Loudoun County, April worked as Court Services Officer and Senior Court Services Officer at Rockingham- Harrisonburg Court Services in Harrisonburg, Virginia for almost six years. April earned a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Applied Sociology with a concentration in Criminal Justice and a minor in Biological Sciences from North Carolina State University. April earned Master of Criminal Justice (MCJ) and Master of Public Administration (MPA) degrees at the University of Colorado Denver (UCD). Additionally, April completed the Graduate Program on Gender-Based Violence, Program Management and Policy Development at UCD. Her research focus was on lethality and domestic violence homicides. In 2020, April completed both the Advanced 4-day Course as well as the Masters’ Summit on Strangulation Prevention provided by the Institute on Strangulation Prevention in San Diego, California. When not working, April loves to adventure and travel to new destinations, gardening, Zumba, and spending time with cats and dogs (especially Siberian huskies).
Treasurer
Marcus Dennis- I am a seasoned professional with nearly 28 years of dedicated service in the field of criminal justice. I hold a bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Christopher Newport University and an MBA from St. Leo University. My journey began with a profound commitment to making a difference in the lives of at-risk juveniles. The first 7 years of my career, I worked in everything from a detention setting, in-home services to mentoring. It was at this time that I determined that a majority of youth issues stemmed from those adults that, shall I say, cared for them. As a result of my enlightenment, I made the change to adult local probation with the Hampton-Newport News Criminal Justice Agency (HNNCJA).
I have been with HNNCJA for the last 21 years, initially starting my career here as a Local Probation Officer. When the opportunity presented itself, I applied for and was offered the position of Operations Supervisor. I served in that position until another opportunity presented itself, that being Director of HNNCJA. I have been fortunate to serve as Director of HNNCJA for the past 6 years.
During this time, I have helped the agency grow by requesting and ultimately being given a significant increase in matching funding from Hampton and Newport News to ensure there was no loss of staffing due to funding shortages. I have also added new positions to the agency, a full-time Behavioral Health Docket Pretrial Officer and a part-time Probation Officer both fully funded by the city of Newport News.
Beyond my professional achievements, I have immense joy in my personal life. I have been happily married to my stunningly beautiful and supportive wife for 20 years. Through our union we have been blessed with two highly intelligent and very talented children, Braedon and Sienna.
In addition to my work in the criminal justice field, I have become a very knowledgeable and experienced real estate investor with 15 years of successful ventures.
If elected, I will do my best to carry the torch as well as Maureen Anderson has. I will utilize my experience as a seasoned real estate investor as well as the experience I have gained serving as Director of HNNCJA to move VCCJA forward.
Allison Intihar-I have been a VCCJA member for over 15 years and have been employed by Prince William County Criminal Justice Services for those 15 years and have served in several positions during this tenure. I am currently the Pretrial/Probation manager for the Investigation Team and Intensive Pretrial Team. I am an active committee member for the SEED (Skill Enhancement and Employee Development) Committee since 2018 and I am also a member of the VCCJA Fundraising Committee since 2020. In 2018, I was a cofacilitator for the probation/pretrial CIT one day training for the State and I am also a member and facilitator for the Secondary Trauma Grant and will be facilitating statewide training for all staff next year.
Ideal Candidate: I am invested in the VCCJA
Goals for position: Streamline payment processes to electronic means instead of checks, making sure that people who utilize their own monies are reimbursed in a quick fashion, looking at ways to increase interest in savings, to report out at meeting yearly audit.
Dana Stout-began her criminal justice career as a Pretrial Officer with Middle Peninsula Local Probation and Pretrial Services Agency in October 2006 and became a VCCJA member at that time as well. She became a dual Officer in 2008 supervising both pretrial and probation cases; in 2011 she transitioned to supervising probation cases only. Dana was a member of the EBP Transition Advisory Committee in 2013 and served on the Probation Advancement Committee for a brief time. She is a member of the Mathews County Multidisciplinary Team; this team is made up of several county entities headed by the Mathews Dept. of Social Services to staff cases and ensure safety for children of that community. In 2018, Dana stepped in and became the supervising Probation Officer for the newly developed Batterer’s Intervention docket with the Mathews, Middlesex and Gloucester JDR Court. Dana has served as the Eastern Region Representative (2020 – 2021) and as the Membership Representative (2022-2023) most recently. If chosen to be VCCJA Treasurer, she plans to work with the Executive Committee to secure the best budget possible and discuss new ways to secure more income to cover the growing costs of the Association.
Membership Representative
Charlene Johnson- Greetings I’m Charlene Johnson aka “CTJ”- Probation Officer with the Hampton Newport News Criminal Justice Agency, where I work with a bunch of amazing humans “My HNNCJA Fam” … I’m assigned to the Domestic Violence Team and in December I’ll celebrate 18 years with the agency. I currently have the honor of serving VCCJA Members of the Eastern Region as their Regional Representative.
Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of being on several VCCJA Committees. I worked alongside and learned from “you” some of the most industrious and dedicated professionals. VCCJA has 535 members across the state of Virginia “we” are diverse in culture, in talent and “we” are resilient, committed, and persistent!
I excepted the nomination to potentially serve as your Membership Representative because I believe that together “we” can continue to grow our association. How you ask… by being informed and engaged! If elected
I will commit to keeping you informed of changes, initiatives and activities impacting our profession. As a “voting” active members of VCCJA you have a voice, I want to hear your thoughts and ideas. Our association needs “YOU” to thrive and grow.
I plan to work diligently to learn ways to get more of our members engaged and involved!! In my soon to be 18yrs …I’ve enjoyed kinship with so many of you from ALL REGIONS and I hope to meet those that I haven’t met. I’m excited about ALL of the possibilities for VCCJA that we can accomplish “together”.
I would be honored to work with you, and for you as your Membership Representative … let’s see some of those possibilities to fruition! ~ Charlene
Eastern Representative
Jenni Facenda-began her criminal justice career as a Pretrial Secretary with Portsmouth Community Corrections and Pretrial Services in March 2004. She became a Probation Officer in June 2004 specializing in the Domestic Violence cases. Jenni has been a VCCJA member throughout her career. She has been a member of the Hampton Roads Military & Civilian Family Violence Prevention Council. Jenni has been married for 20 years and has 2 children. Becoming the Eastern Region Representative will allow Jenni to communicate all the necessary VCCJA matters to its members.
Northern Representative
Tiffany Embry- began her employment with Fauquier County Adult Court Services in 1998, in a part-time capacity. Since then, she has worked her way up the ladder and currently serves as Assistant Director, a role she has held since 2004. While her management role has required her to step back from the front line, she still carries an active caseload of offenders and attends court regularly to stay engaged with the local criminal justice system. Tiffany helps manage a department of 13 employees, wherein she oversees day-to-day operations and ensures quality control and case management activities. Tiffany earned her associates degree in Administration of Justice in 1999 and is near completion of her bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Waldorf University.
Tiffany is an active member of the Virginia Community Criminal Justice Association and previously served on the Membership Committee for many years, processing membership applications and dues. She is a certified Pretrial Services Professional, as well as a certified Moral Reconation Therapy (MRT) facilitator. She is a 2018 graduate of the Leadership Fauquier program.
In running for the Northern Region Representative position, Tiffany hopes to become more involved in the Association, which she has supported from behind the scenes for numerous years, as well as connect and collaborate with Northern Region members to ensure communication is properly relayed to and from the Executive Committee.
Kristin Thompson- Kristin has worked in Community Corrections for 17 years, as an intern, part time and full-time probation officer as well as intake officer and investigations. This has given her the opportunity to explore a multitude of positions and the operations and protocols these positions offer. With the wealth of knowledge in the field she would be one of the best people to speak on behalf of her colleagues and represent them and their thoughts, feelings and ideas in the best way possible. She also will be able to communicate these ideas to others as their liaison.