Board of Directors
Georgine DeBord – President
Georgine DeBord has been with the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office for 19 years. During her 8 years as Teen Court Coordinator, she has overseen the expansion of the program to include more volunteer participation in a variety of schools, a 75% increase in caseload, and increased training opportunities for volunteers. She has guest lectured on the topic of Teen Courts with the National Youth Leadership Forum. She was a Charter Member of the National Association of Youth Courts and a former Trustee, and is currently the President of the MDTCA.
Rick Miller – Vice President
Rick is the Executive Director of the Citizenship Law Related Education Program, which administers the Baltimore City Teen Court as well as several other programs providing legal education to Maryland’s teens and teachers. These include the Maryland High School Mock Trial program, the Law Links High School Student Internship, the MSBA Law Day conferences, and peer mediation trainings. He was a Charter Member of the National Association of Youth Courts and served as the organization’s first Vice-President. Rick currently serves as the Vice-President of the MDTCA and was a founding member. He serves on the Maryland Commission on Civic Literacy and is a member of the Civil Justice Board of Directors. Rick was selected as the 1994 recipient of the American Bar Association’s highest national honor, the Isidore Starr Award for exemplary achievement in Law-Related Education.
Leslie Wright – Secretary
Leslie Wright has been with the Citizenship Law Related Education Program since June 2006. She began as the CLREP Community Outreach Coordinator, serving as a liaison between community partners, managing volunteers, and assisting with other organizational programs. In 2008, she took on the role as Baltimore City Teen Court Coordinator; adjudicating nearly 200 cases per year while continuing to manage over 70 youth volunteers. She serves on the Baltimore City Mayor’s Office of Crime and Prevention Diversion Partners committee, Juvenile Court and School Safety Committee, and is currently the Secretary of the MDTCA.
Anne Shawkey – Treasurer
Anne Shawkey is the coordinator of the Anne Arundel County Teen Court and serves as Treasurer for the MDTCA.
Sheriff Ronald Bateman
Sheriff Ron Bateman began his career in law enforcement with the Anne Arundel County Police Department as a cadet in 1980. After 23 years of decorated service, he retired in 2003 at the rank of captain. During this time he received numerous awards and commendations from the FBI, DEA, and the Anne Arundel County Police Department for exceptional police service. From 2003-2006, Ron served as chief deputy of the Anne Arundel County Sheriff’s Office under Sheriff George Johnson IV. In 2006, and again in 2010, Ron was honored to have been elected by the people as the 119th Sheriff of Anne Arundel County.
Colonel James Teare
Colonel James Teare, Sr., was sworn in as the 15th Chief of Police of the Anne Arundel County Police Department in December, 2006. He attained this position after joining the AACPD in 1987 where he served in patrol services, S.W.A.T., Training Academy, Inspections, Budget, Strategic Planning, Chief’s Adjutant, District Patrol Commander, and the Patrol Operations Bureau Commander. As Chief of Police, James commands over 1,000 personnel, including sworn police officers, civilian support employees, and volunteers. Colonel Teare participates with a variety of councils and boards that make decisions affecting citizens who live, visit, and work in Anne Arundel County.
Kathy Wright
Kathy Wright has over 27 years of experience working in alcohol, tobacco, and other drug treatment and prevention in Queen Anne’s County. She is a Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor. Since 2005, Kathy has coordinated the Queen Anne’s County Teen Court program.
Corporal James Gossage
Corporal James M. Gossage has been in Law Enforcement for over 40 years. He retired from the Baltimore County Police Department in 1999, and worked for the Queen Anne’s County Sheriff’s Office until his retirement in 2002. He has been the coordinator for Caroline County Teen Court for the past eight and a half years. He is the past president of the Maryland Teen Court Association and a board member of National Association of Youth Courts.
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan has been with the Charles County Sheriff’s Office since April 2005, and began as the Teen Court Coordinator in March of 2008. Ms. Vaughan has two Associate of Arts Degrees, in Criminal Justice and General Studies, as well as a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Human Studies from St. Mary’s College of Maryland.
Honorable Karen Jensen
Karen A. Murphy Jensen has served as an Associate Judge on the Caroline County Circuit Court since 1999. Born in Cheverly, Maryland, she completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Delaware before receiving her JD from University of Maryland School of Law in 1980. She served as Assistant County Solicitor for Anne Arundel County for five years starting in 1981 and, following that, worked in private practice for two years. She has been president of both the Caroline County Bar Association and the Pro Bono Action Center. She is currently a committee member of the Standing Committee on Pro Bono Legal Service and is a member of the board of directors for Mid Shore Pro Bono Inc., a organization dedicated to providing access to free or reduced-fee legal services in civil matters to the citizens of Maryland’s Eastern Shore.
The Honorable Michael Pearson has served as an Associate Judge on the Circuit Court of Prince George’s County since 2009. Before that he worked as a Senior Trial Attorney and Assistant State’s Attorney. He graduated from the Columbus School of Law at the Catholic University of America.