Racial Justice Townhall Workshop

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DJJ Office of Victim and Volunteer Services Director, GA Department of Juvenile Justice Office of Training

DeBaja Coleman is the Director of Victim and Volunteer Services, with the Office of Professional Development & Standards. As the Director of Victim and Volunteer Services she is responsible for the statewide leadership and oversight for the Victim and Volunteer Services Unit. Her responsibilities include but are not limited to direct and supervise a staff of regional and statewide volunteer and victim services staff; developing and implementing policy and training, public education programs on the Victim and Volunteer Services programs, developing community resources and networks which support and enhance program objectives. Ms. Coleman has been employed with the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice for over 15 years. Since her employment she has served in various capacities to include Social Services Worker, Balance and Restorative Justice Coordinator, Program Coordinator and Academy Director. Ms. Coleman received her Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology with minor in Criminal Justice and Master of Education degree with a concentration in history from Georgia State University. She serves as the Area Representative for Georgia and the Co-Chair of Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee for American Probation and Parole Association. Director Coleman is a certified trainer for John Maxwell and has various other certifications including Post Senior Instructor, Peer Support, Resiliency Instructor, Firearms Instructor, Darkness to Light and Balance and Restorative Justice. She has had the opportunity to provide training at national conferences throughout the country.

Associate Director, CSOSA

Marcus M. Hodges, the immediate past-President of the National Association of Probation Executives, began a trajectory of impressive public service when he joined the Virginia Department of Corrections in 1992. Throughout his career he has worked to promote programs and processes that support the reintegration of released offenders to the community. Experienced in prisons, community corrections, and probation and parole, Hodges joined the National Institute of Corrections as a Correctional Program Specialist with the Community Corrections/Prisons Division. With a primary focus on community corrections, his tenure included work in the areas of transition from prison to community, evidence-based practices in corrections, and pretrial services. Other focus areas included programming on promoting a positive corrections culture and managing a multi-generational workforce. As a Chief Probation and Parole Officer and as a Regional Administrator for the Virginia Department of Corrections, Hodges promoted strategic and innovative risk management, offender programming, and comprehensive and robust processes for reintegration success. In 2015, Hodges was named to Governor Terry McAuliffe’s Committee for Parole Review and worked on associated sub-committees to develop an in-depth review of the efficacy of the parole system. In 2017, he was named the Associate Director for the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency in Washington, D.C. In recognition of his work, in 2018 he received the Middle Atlantic States President’s award for Innovation in Corrections.