JSEP Board

JSEP board

The JSEP board comprises 11 members; the Governor appoints five of those members with the advice and consent of the Senate. Appointed Board members are required to meet monthly and serve four-year terms.

Generally, the JSEP Board responsibilities include:

• Appointing a JSEP superintendent;
• Developing accredited educational programs;
• Reviewing quality assurance reports;
• Conducting performance reviews of the superintendent every four years, and;
• Approving the educational curriculum, including post-secondary educational programs, vocational and online programs.

Legislative background

During the 2021 Legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly passed and Governor Lawrence J. Hogan Jr., signed into law SB 497, Chapter 145 “Juvenile Services Education Board and Program." The legislation transitions the responsibility of implementing a juvenile services education program from the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to the Juvenile Services Education Program (JSEP) and Board.

JSEP school board initial goals

JSEP school board initial goals 

Board members

Mary L. Gable is the Assistant State Superintendent of the Division of Student Support and Federal Programs at the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). In addition, Ms. Gable also serves as Maryland’s Commissioner for the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children and also serves as the Chair of the Rules Committee.

During her tenure with MSDE, she has supervised state and federal education programs for economically and socially disadvantaged children; programs and services that facilitate the emotional, mental, and physical well-being of all students; programs that promote positive student behavior; programs that develop safe and orderly environments conducive to learning; and programs that facilitate the engagement of students in activities that develop character and civic responsibility. Including the provision of the federal Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), Maryland's ESEA Flexibility Waiver, and the Maryland State Plan for Ensuring Equitable Access to Excellent Educators.

Prior to her work at MSDE, Ms. Gable was the Director of High Schools and formerly a high school principal in Anne Arundel County Public Schools.

Yolanda Holloway, PhD, is a passionate educator and transformative leader with over 25 years of experience in public education, spanning urban, rural, and juvenile justice settings. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Morgan State University, a master’s degree from Goucher College, and a Doctorate in Education from Walden University. She has been a teacher, education program director, assistant principal, and elementary and middle school principal, where she led efforts to build inclusive, student-centered learning environments that prioritize equity, academic growth, and social-emotional well-being. In addition, she serves as a Lead Doctoral Faculty Mentor for Marymount University. She most recently began a new role as Director of Student Services for Dorchester County Public Schools on July 1, 2025.

Darryl Armfield Kelley is a lawyer and has a general practice at Kelley Law, LLC, in Camp Springs, Maryland. He is also a staff attorney for the Catholic Charit​ies Legal Network and assists pro bono clients at the Mona Center in Camp Springs. He serves on the Advisory Council as Chaplain for the Kennedy School of Catholic Charities (a non-public day school for children ages six to 22 with disabilities). He also serves as a deacon with the Archdiocese of Washington. He is a former Maryland State Delegate of the 26th Legislative District and previously served on Capitol Hill as a Legislative Assistant for Education and Labor to the late United States Senator Paul S. Sarbanes. Kelley served as an Inspector/Deputy United States Marshal for many years in federal law enforcement in the District of Columbia and managed the International Fugitive Program in Arlington, VA. Kelley received his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law and earned a B.A. in History from the University of Virginia. Kelley is licensed to practice law in both Maryland and the District of Columbia, a United States Air Force veteran, and a member of the Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity.​

Amy K. Lopez, Ed.D., began her career as a public-school teacher and then administrator in Texas, her home state. She found her way into correctional education as the Superintendent of Education for the Texas Juvenile Justice Department and was later recruited to initiate and lead education reforms for the students in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice as the Associate Superintendent for the Windham School District. In 2016, Obama-era Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates recruited Dr. Lopez to build a school district within the Federal Bureau of Prisons, where she served as the first and only FBOP Superintendent of Education. Dr. Lopez then served as the Deputy Director of College and Career Readiness and Professional Development for the DC Department of Corrections, where she designed and implemented innovative academic and workforce development curricula and programs for incarcerated students and a post-release employment program for justice-involved individuals returning to the community. She is a graduate of Texas Tech University, earned her M.Ed. from Lubbock Christian University, and earned her doctoral degree from Sam Houston State University. She is currently the CEO of Past the Edges Consulting and the Executive Director of Operations for Hand2Heart DC, a nonprofit serving incarcerated students and returning citizens in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area.

My name is Janice Purdham, and I have been an educator for the past 17 years, working with a wide range of students from diverse backgrounds. I began my teaching career in Fairfax County, Virginia, where I spent six years as a special education teacher in a self-contained English classroom for students with emotional disabilities. During that time, I also served as a crisis resource teacher, responding to escalating situations throughout the school and working to de-escalate them safely and effectively.

After moving to Maryland's Eastern Shore, I joined Dorchester County Public Schools, where I continued working with students with emotional disabilities and those re-entering the school system from juvenile detention. I then transitioned to VisionQuest MorningStar Youth Center, a private placement for incarcerated youth, where I taught English and special education and also served as a residential advisor on weekends. At VisionQuest, we used a therapeutic model with a holistic approach that integrated substance abuse treatment and behavioral therapy with equine and nature-based therapies.

Later, I joined DJS (then under MSDE) and became a special education teacher at the J. DeWeese Carter Center, a treatment facility for girls. The center was closed in the spring of 2020. I then began working at the Lower Eastern Shore Children’s Center, where I have been ever since, continuing my work as an English teacher.

These varied experiences have given me a deep understanding of education within our facilities and have inspired me to contribute to shaping a positive future for JSEP.

Grace Reusing is an attorney with the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. For nearly a decade, she has focused her work on monitoring the conditions of confinement for justice-involved youth and ensuring the provision of quality educational services for her clients. She previously served as the Deputy District Public Defender in Baltimore City. She graduated from the University of Maryland Law School and is a licensed attorney in both Maryland and Pennsylvania.

Ladetra Robinson lives in Hagerstown, Washington County. She worked for the US government for over eighteen years. These days, she works for nonprofit organizations. She works in the areas of substance abuse, homelessness, and domestic violence. She provides education, career readiness, and etiquette mentoring to young individuals in Washington County. She received a bachelor's degree from the University of California, Los Angeles. She currently works with the Washington County Black Professional Network as the Marketing Administrator.

She is a member of the Medicaid Advisory Committee on Minority Health, the Vice President of the Board of Washington County Department of Social Services, the Board Chair of the S.A.V.E. (Survivors, Advocates, Voices, Emerging), and a Boar member of the Big Brothers and Big Sisters. Previously, she served as President of the Washington County Commission for Women. She is the owner of the Blossom School of Etiquette & Mentoring, the founder of the Women's Empowerment organization Leap into Success, and the owner of LGR Life Coach. Ladetra is passionate about mentoring, motivating, and supporting others.

Betsy Fox Tolentino was appointed Acting Secretary of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services by Governor Wes Moore on June 9, 2025, and officially confirmed by the Maryland General Assembly on February 27, 2026.​​

Betsy brings nearly two decades of experience in criminal and juvenile justice advocacy, policy development, and systems reform aimed at addressing the diverse needs of Maryland’s communities. Most recently, she served as Managing Director of Young Adult Justice Initiatives at the nationally recognized nonprofit, The Roca Impact Institute. In this role, she led strategic partnerships, oversaw scaled client initiatives, and worked to expand national visibility for Rewire CBT—a cutting-edge model for individual behavior change and system transformation.

Prior to her work at Roca, Betsy held multiple leadership roles at the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS), including Deputy Secretary of Community Operations and Director of Legislation. As Deputy Secretary, she championed efforts to reimagine the way young people, families, and communities engage with the justice system—focusing on reducing racial disparities, building equity-driven reforms, and fostering innovation through collaborative partnerships.

Betsy began her legal career in public service, working with the Maryland Legal Aid Bureau before joining the Maryland Office of the Public Defender as an attorney in 2005. These foundational roles shaped her deep commitment to justice, fairness, and advocacy for underserved populations.

In addition to her professional work, Betsy is active in the community. She volunteers with grassroots organizations, serves on the Board of Directors for Mentor MD/DC, and teaches as an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. She holds a degree from Southern Oregon University and earned her Juris Doctor from Widener University School of Law.

Amanda R. White is an Assistant Attorney General with the Maryland Office of the Attorney General (OAG). She is currently Senior Counsel with the Maryland State Department of Education, providing guidance on education regulations, policies, and legislation since 2019. Prior to her tenure with OAG, Ms. White served as an education civil rights attorney with Disability Rights Maryland from 2014 to 2019, where she represented youth with disabilities and their families in their special education and school discipline matters. She is also a former co-chair of the Maryland Coalition to Reform School Discipline. Ms. White received her law degree from Northeastern University School of Law and her Master of Public Health from Tufts University School of Medicine.