Meet the New Members of Our Team!
The RFK National Resource Center is thrilled to announce the addition of two outstanding youth justice professionals and recognized leaders to our staff. Jodi Martin and Michelle Darling will begin work as our new Senior Program Directors & Senior Consultants on July 12. Jodi and Michelle each bring an outstanding record of commitment, dedication, achievement, leadership – and passion – from their extensive experience in Clark County, Washington Juvenile Court and the Delaware Department of Youth and Rehabilitative Services (DYRS), respectively.
Both Jodi and Michelle have led significant reform initiatives and are highly regarded by their peers and juvenile justice stakeholders with whom they have worked and collaborated throughout their careers. They join the RFK National Resource Center team with enthusiasm for advancing the positive transformation of youth justice and are excited to support communities throughout the country, as well as partner and collaborate with other dedicated youth-serving professionals and leaders.
Please join us in welcoming Jodi and Michelle to our team!
Jodi Martin
Senior Program Director & Senior Consultant
Jodi Martin has 30 years of experience working in the juvenile justice and child welfare systems. Jodi began her career working as a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) and a youth counselor in a community-based residential program. Jodi has dedicated 25 years to juvenile justice in Clark County, Washington where she has served as a Juvenile Probation Counselor, Program Coordinator, and Program Manager. Jodi helped develop Clark County’s truancy workshop, mentoring program for truants, and juvenile detention alternatives. As Program Manager, she has overseen court intake, truancy, diversion, detention alternatives, and victim outreach. Jodi has presented at numerous conferences and consulted with many jurisdictions to provide information and assistance in reforming truancy processes, implementing restorative justice practices, and improving information-sharing practices for youth. Jodi also has served as a peer partner for the RFK National Resource Center for Juvenile Justice. She received her bachelor’s degree in Child and Family Studies from Washington State University in 1992.
Michelle Darling
Senior Program Director & Senior Consultant
Michelle Darling has dedicated the last 20 years of her professional life to serving youth in the juvenile justice system, beginning her service to youth, families, and the community as a probation officer. As the Chief of Juvenile Probation for Delaware, she infused the concepts of evidence-based decision-making into everyday practices and interactions with youth and families. She accomplished this by leading a group of stakeholders in the implementation of statewide bifurcated sentencing, incorporating a risk and needs assessment to individualize case planning, creating training curriculum for probation, developing a field training manual, creating a culture of change agents verses compliance monitors, developing protocols to meet the needs of dual status youth, and fully incorporating a dispositional matrix and behavior response grid matrix. Michelle also developed the first quality assurance unit for juvenile probation in Delaware. Through her qualitative analysis, detention populations were reduced as she focused on reducing technical violations for youth, and caseload sizes were reduced as best practices were implemented with fidelity. She expanded risk-and-needs assessments to include a trauma screening, implemented processes to evaluate service delivery using standard protocols, and incorporated data to inform decision-making. Michelle earned her bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Delaware. She is inspired by her daughter who currently attends Bryn Mawr College and plays on their field hockey team.