Shandra Carter – Executive Director
Shandra Carter was named the Executive Director of TJJD in December 2022. She had served as Interim Executive Director of the agency since April 2022 and previously worked as the agency’s Deputy Executive Director for State Services. Carter brings a wealth of knowledge to the position as an expert in juvenile justice. An accomplished professional with 20 years of experience in corrections and juvenile residential care, she has dedicated her career to promoting public safety and has specialized in child development, abuse and neglect, and sexual violence treatment. She has worked primarily in residential and correctional settings, developing trauma- informed programming and programs to serve child sex-trafficking victims.
Carter earned her bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Law, Societies & Justice from the University of Washington. She went on to earn her master’s degree in Social Work at Eastern Washington University. She is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker Supervisor in Texas, as well as a Licensed Childcare Administrator. When not on the job, Carter enjoys spending time with her husband, trying to keep up with her energetic teenager, and playing with the family’s three dogs
Sean Grove – Deputy Executive Director
Sean Grove serves as TJJD’s Deputy Executive Director. Grove oversees the operations of the agency’s secure correctional facilities, education services, medical services, the Juvenile Justice Training Academy, and the Monitoring and Inspections Division. Prior to this role, Sean served as TJJD’s Chief of Staff providing direct support to the Executive Director and other agency leaders. Sean has worked in the public sector in county-level criminal justice agencies and assisted Governor Abbott’s policy team on criminal justice issues during the 85th legislative session. Before joining TJJD, he was in private practice representing governmental entities on a wide range of issues.
Grove grew up in Dallas and received a Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Arts in History from Kansas Wesleyan University. He earned his law degree from Texas A&M University School of Law in Fort Worth, where he concentrated on criminal law, justice, and policy issues.
Phone: (512) 490-7117
Email: sean.grove@tjjd.texas.gov
Evan Norton, Psy.D. – Deputy Executive Director
As Deputy Executive Director for TJJD, Dr. Evan Norton oversees the probation, parole, integrated treatment, medical and research divisions. Dr. Norton is a licensed clinical forensic psychologist practicing in the state of Texas. He is recognized as an expert in treatment for violent offending, risk assessment, and trauma-informed programming. He has presented nationally and internationally on topics such as psychopathy, interpersonal acceptance-rejection, and psychometrics. He is frequently called to present and testify in court proceedings. He was a decorated college athlete, having accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Concordia University, Irvine where he earned his bachelor’s degree. He completed his master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Forensic Psychology at Alliant International University, San Diego. Norton completed his post-doctoral training at the McLennan County State Juvenile Correctional Facility, in Mart, and served as the Director of Clinical Services at the Giddings State School before moving into agency-wide leadership roles.
Phone: (254) 297-8200
Email: evan.norton@tjjd.texas.gov
Emily Anderson – Finance and Operations Deputy Executive Director
Emily Anderson joined the agency in 2014 as the Director of Fiscal Affairs. In August 2018, she became the Chief Financial Officer, and in January 2020, she assumed the additional title of Chief Operating Officer. Anderson has deep experience in state government. Before her work at TJJD, she spent 11 years at the Texas Department of Transportation as a lead budget analyst and a manager of business operations. A proud Red Raider, she is a graduate of Texas Tech University.
Phone: (512) 924-6196
Email: emily.anderson@tjjd.texas.gov
Rachel Gandy – Chief of Staff
Rachel Gandy came to TJJD as the Chief of Staff in July 2023. Before joining the executive branch, she served as a project manager and policy analyst at the Sunset Advisory Commission for five years. At Sunset, she led efficiency and effectiveness evaluations of TJJD, OIO, and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. She also served on other agency reviews involving economic development; state contracting; and occupational licensing, regulation, and enforcement, for which she and her colleagues earned an impact award from the National Legislative Program Evaluation Society. Prior to government service, she engaged in local, state, and federal advocacy to ensure youth with disabilities have access to a free and appropriate public education. Gandy received her bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University, her Master of Public Affairs from UT’s LBJ School, and her Master of Social Work from UT’s Steve Hicks School.
Phone: (512) 565-9323
Email: rachel.gandy@tjjd.texas.gov
Alan Michel – State Facility Operations Senior Director
Alan Michel has worked in the field of juvenile justice since 1993. He joined the agency in 2008 as the South Regional Director of Secure Facilities. In August 2018, he became the Director of Secure Facilities, and in July 2023, he assumed the additional title of State Facility Operations Senior Director. Michel spent 10 years working in the Iowa juvenile justice system as a direct care staff member in residential and detention programs, the director of a detention center, and the director of a day treatment program. He then spent three years in Louisiana as the deputy director and then director of a secure juvenile facility. Under his leadership, the facility was released from a DOJ settlement.
Michel has filled various roles at TJJD, including Manager of Treatment Services and Manager of Halfway Houses. He was recently certified as a Trust-Based Relational Intervention Practitioner, which emphasizes meeting the basic relationship and developmental needs of youth with trauma histories. He continues to focus on moving the Texas Model forward by promoting positive relationships with youth, expanding strategies to assist youth as they regulate their behaviors, and ensuring a safe environment for youth to receive treatment. Michel is a graduate of Iowa State University, obtaining his degree in sociology and criminal justice in 1992.
Phone: (512) 924-6196
Email: alan.michel@tjjd.texas.gov
Henry Schmidt III, Ph.D. – Structured Programming and Accountability Senior Director
Dr. Schmidt received his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Washington and has been a licensed psychologist since 2003. He received his master’s degree in clinical psychology from Loyola University, Baltimore. Schmidt has extensive experience working with youth in corrections and residential care, both in Washington and as a consultant to many other agencies. He has worked with rural and urban facilities in the United States and abroad, including Norway where his model program for adolescent group homes was adopted nationally. His position at TJJD focuses on supporting the structured environment and treatment approaches that help youth make needed behavioral changes and build toward a more successful life.
Phone: (512) 599-3224
Email: henry.schmidt@tjjd.texas.gov
Chris Ellison – Training and Program Development Director
Chris Ellison has worked with at-risk youth in a variety of settings over his 31-year career. He came to TJJD in July 2014 as the Manager of Training and became the Director of Training in 2019. Before coming to TJJD, Ellison worked in Nevada, Colorado, and California for a private juvenile justice agency. During this time, he managed treatment in a 225-bed facility. He then ran a detention and post-adjudication facility in Colorado. Chris received his bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Texas A&M University, and his master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati.
Phone: (512) 924-6713
Email: chris.ellison@tjjd.texas.gov
Lou Serrano – Youth Movement Director
Lou Serrano has worked in the field of juvenile justice since 1989, beginning in Deaf Smith County as a field supervision officer. In 1990, Serrano was appointed Chief Juvenile Probation Officer for Deaf Smith/Oldham counties. While serving in this capacity, he obtained both state and local funding to open the Deaf Smith County Youth Home, a 12-bed residential facility for male delinquent offenders. At the time, the facility was noted for its innovative and creative approach to dealing with delinquent offenders. In 2001, Serrano was appointed Director of Juvenile Services for Ector County. The department employed over 50 dedicated juvenile justice professionals and administrative staff. The department operations included the Ector County Youth Center, a 48-bed secure juvenile justice facility that was the first-of-its-kind “post-adjudication” facility in Texas, opening in 1974.
Serrano joined TJJD as a regional county program administrator after retiring from Ector County in 2016. He is a member of the Texas Probation Association and a past member of the Panhandle Juvenile Probation Officer’s Association and the West Texas Juvenile Chief’s Association. Serrano graduated from West Texas A&M University, obtaining his degree in Criminal Justice Administration in 1988.
Phone: (512) 490-7991
Email: lou.serrano@tjjd.texas.gov
Cameron Taylor – Senior Policy Manager
Cameron Taylor serves TJJD as Senior Manager of the agency’s Policy Division. He received a bachelor’s in government in 2016 from the University of Texas at Austin. During his time at UT, Taylor also pursued educational opportunities at the elite research university and grande école Sciences Po in Paris. After receiving his bachelor’s degree, Taylor worked two legislative sessions in the Texas Senate as a staffer for Houston-area Sen. Joan Huffman. He has worked for TJJD since October 2020, starting as policy advisor, and then serving as Senior Strategic Advisor to the Executive Director from January 2023 to August 2024.
Phone: (512) 701-9146
Email: cameron.taylor@tjjd.texas.gov
Jana Jones – General Counsel
Jana A. Jones oversees the Office of General Counsel, which provides legal services for TJJD. This includes providing legal counsel to the TJJD Board and management, including counsel regarding rules, policies, practices, and proposed legislation. Her office manages the youth grievance system, disciplinary hearing findings, abuse, neglect, and exploitation investigations and findings, and the Release Review Panel, which makes decisions regarding release to parole and discharge from TJJD custody. The office also conducts administrative due process hearings for youth and employees and oversees any litigation involving TJJD.
Before joining TJJD, Jones was the Juvenile Division Chief for the Special Prosecution Unit, overseeing the prosecution of cases arising out of the TJJD secure facilities. She is the former District Attorney for the 271st District, a job she held for two terms. Jones began her legal career over 30 years ago in the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office where she prosecuted misdemeanor, juvenile, and felony cases. She is a frequent speaker to prosecutors and law enforcement on juvenile law topics.
Jones earned her law degree from Texas Tech Law School and holds a master’s in social work from the University of Texas at Arlington, as well as a bachelor’s in Family Relations from Texas Tech University. While in law school, she was a member of the national Client Counseling Team and an author of Drugs, Alcohol and the Law, a model education program for secondary students.
Jones has a long commitment to community involvement and volunteerism and has served on numerous boards of directors including the United Way of Wise County, Disciple All Nations, and the Texas District and County Attorneys Association. She is a recent former member of the State Bar of Texas Juvenile Law Council.
Phone: (512) 490-7130
Email: jana.jones@tjjd.texas.gov
Tim Tenpas – Chief Information Officer
Tim Tenpas joined TJJD in February 2024 as the Chief Information Officer after 30 years of working in the private sector for system integrator firms focused on the delivery of services for federal, state and local governments, as well as commercial clients. During Tenpas’s career, he worked with multiple technologies and organizations through many network and application developer technology transformations. These included the modernization of mainframes, client/server and desktop applications and mobile apps and web-based applications as well as the transition to systems using cloud technologies. He brings a broad range of technology experience across multiple domains and business areas with a focus on improving business processes and ensuring data is reliable and dependable to enable agency leaders to make educated, data-driven decisions. Tenpas began his career as a developer at the Texas Department of Health after earning his computer science degree from the University of Texas at Austin in 1992.
Phone: (512) 490-7130
Email: timothy.tenpas@tjjd.texas.gov
Barbara Kessler – Communications Director
Barbara (Bobbi) Kessler has worked in communications for TJJD since 2017, overseeing content, social media, and media affairs. Before joining the agency, she worked as a news producer, editor, and writer at television stations, an online news service, and city newspapers, including 13 years as a senior writer at the Dallas Morning News. At the Dallas News she developed a specialty in child welfare issues. During her journalism career, she won several state and national news reporting awards. She’s a graduate of the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University, in Evanston, IL, with a dual major in social psychology.
Phone: (972) 974-8157
Email: barbara.kessler@tjjd.texas.gov