For More Information:
William R. Steinhaus
Dutchess County Executive
(845) 486-2000
countyexec@co.dutchess.ny.us
For Immediate Release
January 25, 2002
Poughkeepsie. . . Dutchess
County Executive William R. Steinhaus announced the appointment of Mary Ellen
Still as Dutchess County’s Director of Probation and Community Corrections
effective this Monday January 28, 2002.
The County Executive stated, “I
am confident Mary Ellen possesses the right combination of skills and experience
to fulfill this important position. As Deputy Director, Mary Ellen’s
enthusiasm, leadership and management experience in working collaboratively with
other government and community agencies has served the county well. Her
knowledge of our community and our Alternatives to Incarceration programs has
earned my respect as well as the admiration of her peers in the criminal justice
system.”
The County Executive noted,
“Mary Ellen is a career employee with over 23 years experience in community
corrections. She has held a number of increasingly responsible positions within
the department requiring a variety of supervisory, management and administrative
skills.” She has served in the position of Deputy Director of Probation and
Community Corrections for three years since January 1999.
According to the County
Executive, “The function of the department is to protect the safety of persons
and property by administering cost effective community based correctional
programs. The department provides a variety of alternative to Incarceration
programs to monitor and control the behavior of offenders to prevent further
unlawful behavior as well as providing programs with an increasing emphasis on
services to victims.
The County Executive added,
“The Director is one of three management positions which directs this important
public safety department that has grown steadily as community corrections has
become a mainstay of our criminal justice planning. There are currently 81
probation officers that manage a caseload of 2,600 probationers with an
operating budget of nearly nine million dollars.
Ms. Still said, “I am looking
forward to this new position and appreciate the County Executive’s confidence in
me. Community corrections serves a vital function in the community and the
staff of the agency work tirelessly to insure that the county remains a safe and
desirable place in which to live. I plan to work with other agencies in a
collaborative manner to both plan and provide for creative, effective and
efficient services for the people of Dutchess County.”
Ms. Still is a graduate of
Dutchess Community College and the State University of Albany with a BS in
Political Science/Sociology and continued her education through graduate studies
at the University of New Haven. She presently resides with her husband Stanley
and son Jeffrey at West Marshall Drive in Hyde Park.
Ms. Still’s salary will be $86,500 established based upon promotional and longevity criteria in the management salary schedule. Ms. Still will serve in an acting capacity pending her permanent confirmation by the Legislature.
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