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Curtis Howard receives juvenile court promotion
Published: July 18, 2018
He prepared for the opportunity for 34 years and, on July 2, Curtis Howard’s diligence and dedication were rewarded when Summit County Juvenile Court Judge Linda Tucci Teodosio announced that Howard was being promoted to assistant court administrator.
Howard began his career at the Juvenile Court in 1984 as a detention officer. Two years later, he was appointed as a community worker in the probation department. Howard held five positions in probation culminating with his promotion to chief probation officer in 2001.
In his new position, Howard will oversee the operations of the Probation Department, the Crossroads Program, and the Intake Department. The move also comes at a point in time when the Court is shifting its posture toward cases involving misdemeanants from dockets to diversionary programming. Such a change is in keeping with the philosophies of the Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) that the Court has incorporated into its case assessment policies for the past five years.
“The practices of JDAI are definitely different from when I started, but it is something I have embraced,” Howard said. “The Court already has systems in place that can allow for a more seamless transition to that change. I am so grateful and excited about this opportunity”
Howard pointed to the Court’s Family Resource Center, Teen Court and Child Responsibility Project, and community-based resources that can be utilized to refer those cases.
“I plan to hit the ground running in this new job,” said Howard. “I have to. There is much to be done. I have some ideas regarding system reform to make it more effective. I hope to explore methods of what we could and should do in an efficient and meaningful manner, and I look forward to working with staff members of the different departments to affect these changes and keep the Court moving forward.”
Judge Teodosio has full confidence that Howard is up to the task.
“Curtis’ experience and his eagerness to become educated on the latest trends in juvenile justice have put him in a unique position to be successful,” said Judge Teodosio. “He has applied what he has learned to his job in Probation, and I know he will continue to do so as assistant court administrator.”