Centering Community Justice & Safety: A Case Study of Multnomah County

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Barbara Broderick is the chair of EXiT(Executives Transforming Probation and Parole) and the former chief probation officer for Maricopa County, Arizona. Broderick has devoted more than 30 years to the criminal justice system. She became chief probation officer for Maricopa County in December 2000 and from June 2005 to August 2006 also served as Interim Chief Juvenile probation Officer. Prior to that, she was state director of the Adult Probation Office for the Arizona Supreme Court for five years, assisting local jurisdictions and treatment providers. She is well versed in the theory and practice of community justice, risk assessment, probation performance measures and substance abuse treatment. She has been named as the nation’s top probation executive by the National Association of Probation Executives for her sustained and distinguished service to the probation profession. Prior to coming to Arizona, Broderick was New York State Director of Probation and Correctional Alternatives. She earned her B.A. from Niagara University and her masters at the School of Criminal Justice at State University of New York at Albany.

For more than four decades, Joe McFerrin II has been a fierce advocate for Portland’s African American youth and families and other groups facing barriers to success. He uses his personal passion and professional expertise to increase immediate economic, social, and educational opportunities for Black and other disconnected youth and families while working towards longer-term systemic changes. Joe is stalwart in the face of challenges and quick to move beyond conversation towards meaningful action. He often serves as the critical bridge between diverse groups seeking common ground solutions. Joe has leveraged significant local and national resources to benefit the disenfranchised and takes great pride in his ability to guide people in achieving their personal and professional best. Joe McFerrin II is the current President/CEO of Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center and Rosemary Anderson High School (POIC+RAHS), a position he has held for the past 17 years. Across its five campuses, POIC+RAHS offers accredited high school and middle school educational programs along with workforce training opportunities, mentoring, young parent education, leadership development, youth and gang violence intervention and prevention services, case management for justice-involved youth, and more. POIC+RAHS impacts the lives of over 3,000 BIPOC youth and families annually.

Erika Preuitt is the Director of the Multnomah County Department of Community Justice (DCJ). She has worked for DCJ for over 25 years, committing her career to improving outcomes for the most vulnerable in our communities. Her early career was in Spokane, Washington working for private non-profit organizations serving women, youth and families. She started her career within DCJ as a Probation and Parole Officer working with justice involved women and gang -involved young men. She has served on all levels of management within her organization and in diverse program areas. Additionally she has championed evidence based practices, culturally and gender responsive programming. Leading an organization in the 21st century has led Erika to invest in trauma informed practice, equity, inclusion and brain science. She has been very effective in this area incepting programs that have received national attention and launching sustainable community efforts such Black Male Achievement Portland, The Community Healing Initiative and implementing the Habilitation Empowerment Accountability Therapy, a culturally responsive, cognitive behavioral curriculum in Multnomah County.

Born in Cali, Colombian Ximena studied Anthropology at the Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. Soon after her college years, Ximena immigrated to the United States in 2001 and has since lived her life between Portland, Oregon and her native Colombia. Ximena has devoted her professional life to community-based non-profit work with organizations serving youth and immigrant populations. As case manager with gang-impacted youth, she worked to leverage resources and to promote system change, foster connections, build generational joy and promote healing. Coordinating student retention in alternative school programs, she has challenged students to find resiliency in the face of institutional barriers. She has empowered young new mothers and fathers to thrive and develop systems of support as coordinator of a Latinx teen parent program. With older families of school-age children, she led parenting classes to identify strengths and skills that support youth success and improve family engagement. Leading community engagement at a food-justice initiative, she built neighborhood capacity to manage local food resources. Ximena has been a volunteer mediator and a restorative justice circle facilitator since 2005. As a Youth Empowerment and Violence Prevention Division Director Ximena oversees Latino Network’s range of programs on early intervention, culturally based mentoring, community outreach, case management and family navigation for families impacted by the justice system.