Intensive Session: The Path to Excellence: Achieving APPA Recognition as an Evidence-Based Organization

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As a former probation executive and head of a state juvenile corrections agency, Susan Burke brings nearly 30 years of experience in the justice field to her position as executive director of The Carey Group. She led both adult and juvenile justice reform in Utah; championed legislation to offer treatment rather than incarceration to substance-dependent individuals involved in the criminal justice system; shaped state policies on a variety of justice-related issues; and served on many national boards. She is the former president of the American Probation and Parole Association and has served on the executive committees for the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, the Justice Center Board for the Council of State Governments, and the National Association of Probation Executives. Susan has used Carey Group Publishing resources in her own agencies to strengthen practices and improve outcomes for system-involved individuals. Her skills in strategic planning and the application of evidence-based practices resulted in a 15 percent improvement in felony-free behavior for system-involved individuals within a five-year period. She received the Youth Advocate of the Year award in 2002 and again in 2018 from the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice. She also received, from the Council of Juvenile Corrections Administrators, the President’s Award in 2013 and the Outstanding Administrator Award in 2015. She has spoken at national conferences, been a keynote speaker, and is an inspirational leader for community corrections.

Mark Carey is the President of The Carey Group (TCG), a national consulting firm that provides training and technical assistance for justice and correctional professionals and community groups. Mark is also the President of Carey Group Publishing (CGP). He served as the Deputy Commissioner of Community and Juvenile Services for the Minnesota Department of Corrections from 1999 to 2003, the Director of Dakota County Community Corrections, the Director of Dodge-Fillmore-Olmsted County Community Corrections, and the Warden of MCF-Shakopee, the only women’s prison in Minnesota. He has over 35 years of experience in the correctional field, serving as a counselor, probation/parole officer, planner, administrator, and consultant. Mark taught juvenile justice at the Community College in Rochester, Minnesota, and has published over a dozen articles and two books. Mark previously served as President of the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA). He has been on the APPA Board of Directors since 1997. In 1996, he received APPA’s Sam Houston University Award. He has served as President and Chair of a number of other associations and task forces, and is a frequently requested keynote speaker and trainer. In 1993, he was selected as the Corrections Person of the Year by the Minnesota Corrections Association.

Scott Taylor has 45 years in the field of community corrections, most recently as the Director of the Department of Community Justice for Multnomah County, Oregon. He has worked in juvenile and adult institutions, run a residential center, served as counselor, probation and parole office and supervisor. He is a past Treasurer and past President of the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA). He was the recipient of the APPA Walter Dunbar award for contributions to the field and coordinator of the Second World Congress on Probation. He has also been the Past President of the Luke Center for Catalytic Change and has served as a city councilman and mayor for his community. As a consultant, Scott has worked with the National Institute of Corrections, The Center for State Courts, SCRAM, and several state and local probation and parole operations.