OJJDP Staff Garner Outstanding Achievement Awards
On December 14, 2011, OJJDP staffer Ron Laney received the Office of Justice Programs' (OJP's) Lifetime Achievement Award. At the same ceremony, OJJDP's Robin Delany-Shabazz and Anita Butler both received the Assistant Attorney General Award. Following are the remarks of Laurie O. Robinson, Assistant Attorney General, OJP, who presented the awards.
Ron Laney, Senior Advisor to the Administrator (Lifetime Achievement Award)
"Ron has had a lifelong commitment to the safety and welfare of children. He developed the first training program for law enforcement on serving children and youth, which trained thousands and thousands of professionals over the years. In 1998, he created the prototype for the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) task force program. Initially, the program consisted of 10 task forces. Today, there are 61. Ron was also instrumental in developing the AMBER Alert program and making that the important public safety program it is today. And I think it's safe to say that he's been behind all our successful child protection efforts. I could go on and on about what Ron Laney has done, but there's no way to put into words what he's meant to OJP."For more information about Ron Laney's career, read OJJDP's tribute to Ron below.
Robin Delany-Shabazz, Designated Federal Official, Coordinating Council on Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (Assistant Attorney General Award)
"Robin gave the Coordinating Council new life when she took it over in 2009. After what I know were herculean efforts to reorganize the council, its first meeting drew five cabinet-level officials. On top of that, she completely revamped the Federal Advisory Committee, which was rolled out at the JJ Conference OJJDP's National Conference on Children's Justice and Safety in October. And she took the lead on the Attorney General's new Supportive School Discipline Initiative. As all of this attests, she has a flair for overcoming obstacles and turning problems into workable solutions."Anita Butler, Budget Analyst (Assistant Attorney General Award)
Ron Laney Calls It a Career
OJJDP recently bid farewell to Ron Laney, Senior Advisor to the Administrator. Ron was a tireless and effective advocate for the families of missing and exploited children and the organizations throughout the country that serve them. For his three decades of service to the juvenile justice field, Ron in December was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.
"Ron Laney's is an irreplaceable treasure at OJJDP," said Jeff Slowikowski, then-OJJDP Acting Administrator. "Throughout his 30 plus years with OJJDP, Ron looked to make a difference in the lives of children. Ron's experience and historical knowledge will be missed in OJJDP."
Before assuming his advisory role in the Administrator's office, Ron served as associate administrator of OJJDP's Child Protection Division (CPD) from 2000 to 2010. From 1993 to 2000, he was the director of the Missing and Exploited Children's Program, and he was the driving force behind OJJDP's creation of CPD. Among his many accomplishments as associate administrator, Ron oversaw the expansion of AMBER Alert from a small local program to a national network and created the Association of Missing and Exploited Children's Organizations. For more than 15 years, he oversaw the organization and planning of the U.S. Department of Justice's annual Missing Children's Day commemoration. Ron's efforts over the past two-and-a-half decades helped OJJDP forge a strong partnership with the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC).
"Ron Laney is a giant in the field of child protection," said Ernie Allen, President and Chief Executive Officer of NCMEC. "For nearly four decades, he has battled to keep America's children safe. . . . He has helped to transform law enforcement, awakening police to the necessity of immediate, serious response. It is difficult to imagine the U.S. Department of Justice without him."
From 1981 through April 1993, as OJJDP's Law Enforcement Program Manager, Ron developed a series of juvenile law enforcement training programs that are still offered throughout the country today.
Other OJJDP Retirements
In recent months, several other staff retired after many years of steadfast service to OJJDP: Laura Ansera, Tribal Youth Program Coordinator; Donni LeBoeuf, formerly Special Assistant to the OJJDP Administrator; Cora Roy-Stevens, Grant Program Specialist; and Freida Thomas, Grant Program Specialist. Throughout their tenure at OJJDP, these individuals offered invaluable expertise and demonstrated integrity, professionalism, and dedication to the juvenile justice field. They will be greatly missed.