Kenna Appointed Juvenile Department Director

For Immediate Release: Thursday, June 25, 2009

Dennis Kenna to Lead Juvenile Department

Washington County Administrator Robert Davis announced today that Dennis Kenna will lead the county's Juvenile Department beginning July 13.

Kenna will come to Washington County with a wealth of experience in the juvenile services field, having served in positions at both the local and state levels. Kenna is currently a field services manager and supervisor with the Oregon Youth Authority (OYA), the state agency charged with providing incarceration, out-of-home placement, education, job training and other services for over 2,000 juvenile offenders statewide. Kenna's role at OYA includes work as a liaison to the juvenile departments at Clatsop, Columbia, Tillamook and Washington counties. Kenna has also served on the Washington County Public Safety Coordinating Council since 2003.

Kenna was the director of the Clatsop County Juvenile Department from 1994 to 1997 and a juvenile services program manager with Boys and Girls Aid Society of Oregon from 1991 to 1994.

"Dennis has a great deal of expertise and knowledge of the juvenile justice system in Oregon as well as here locally in Washington County," said County Administrator Robert Davis. "He is a great fit for this department and we are very pleased that he is joining our executive team as the director of Juvenile."

Washington County's Juvenile Department handled close to 2,700 juvenile referrals in 2008, representing an eight-year decline in the county's juvenile crime rate. On an average day, the department is responsible for 12 youths in secure detention and 16 on home detention. The department is supported by an annual budget of $11.6 million and is staffed by 78 full-time employees.

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