Lisa Varon, Deputy Director – Philadelphia Office of Criminal Justice
As a macro-practice social worker, Lisa Varon focuses her work in ways that support the connection of a variety of systems to best serve communities from a holistic and strengths-based approach. Lisa’s professional experience spans the areas of Juvenile/criminal justice policy and programming, workforce development, and adult education. Lisa’s early passion for youth development work, evolved into youth advocacy as she began her professional career at Congreso de Latinos Unidos, in Philadelphia, as the Latino Juvenile Justice Network Coordinator, within the MacArthur Foundation’s Models for Change initiative. Her work evolved into the areas of youth reintegration, workforce development and adult education. Lisa is an alumni of the Aspen Institute’s Workforce Sector Skills Academy fellowship program, and a trained facilitator in the Sector Skills Academy Curriculum. Most recently Lisa served as the Executive Director of PowerCorpsPHL, an AmeriCorps workforce development program serving opportunity youth 18-25 to meet the City’s demand for skilled workers in green jobs. Lisa is currently the Deputy Director of Juvenile Justice Initiatives in the City of Philadelphia’s Office of Criminal Justice and has been focused on supporting the creation of a Juvenile Assessment Center in Philadelphia. All of Lisa’s professional experiences are rooted in a strong desire for more equitable access to opportunities and advancement for communities not traditionally at decision making tables. Lisa holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work and a certificate in Global Cultures from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania.
Mike Pennington, Executive Director, Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency
On September 16, 2019, Michael Pennington was appointed as Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD). Mr. Pennington has nearly 31 years of experience in the criminal and juvenile justice systems.
Prior to his appointment as Executive Director, Mr. Pennington was responsible for providing leadership and direction to PCCD’s Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and Office of Criminal Justice System Improvements (OCJSI). This included the development of policy recommendations and administration of federal and state funds to support programs designed to improve the Commonwealth’s juvenile and criminal justice systems and to prevent violence, delinquency, substance misuse, and other related problem behaviors among children and youth. He worked as an agency lead partner in the MacArthur Foundation Models for Change Initiative focusing on developing long-term reform models in critical areas of juvenile justice for replication in Pennsylvania and other states and facilitated strategic planning to sustain the ongoing reform work post-MacArthur Foundation's active, in-state involvement. He also led the development of the PA Resource Center for Evidence-based Prevention and Intervention Programs and Practices.
Mr. Pennington is an active member of Pennsylvania’s Juvenile Justice System Enhancement Strategy Leadership Team and served as the National Juvenile Justice Specialist to the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention and Juvenile Justice Specialists throughout the U.S. and its Territories. Mr. Pennington received the 2011 Marilyn Mennis Memorial Award in recognition of his dedication, leadership, and advocacy on behalf of Pennsylvania’s children and their families. He also received the 2019 Tony Gobar Award from the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, which is given each year to an individual that has served as a State Juvenile Justice Specialist and exemplifies excellence in service to others, is dedicated to improving the juvenile justice system, and demonstrates compassion and concern. Additionally, he is a member of the Executive Board for the National Criminal Justice Association.
Mr. Pennington holds a Master of Science in Administration of Justice from Shippensburg University.
Lori Toscano, Director, Justice Technical Assistance, WestEd Justice & Prevention Research Center
Lori Toscano is the Director of Justice Technical Assistance at WestEd. Lori works to expand and deepen WestEd’s justice work and impact. Her primary area of expertise is Community Violence Intervention (CVI) technical assistance, training development, program development and implementation.
Lori has over 20 years of experience in community-based violence prevention and intervention. Previously, Lori was the Executive Director of Program Innovation at Cure Violence Global and the Director of Safe Streets Baltimore. She has provided technical assistance to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) and Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Supporting Male Survivors of Violence and Advancing Hospital-based Victims Services demonstration projects. She has worked both nationally and internationally with cities and communities disproportionally impacted by violence. She currently leads a statewide technical assistance project in Pennsylvania where she and her team support over 270 agencies and community-based organizations implementing violence prevention, intervention, re-entry, and/or transformation and healing projects.
Lori received a BS from Towson State University and a MS in Criminal Justice from the University of Baltimore.
Willem C. Kiefer, Executive Director and Founder, Bench Mark Program
Will Kiefer is the Executive Director and Founder of Bench Mark Program, a fitness-based mentoring program for at-risk youth in Lancaster, PA. Born and raised in Gettysburg, PA, he moved to Lancaster to attend Franklin and Marshall College in 2010. In January, 2014, during his final semester, Will started Bench Mark as a tool to connect with older at-risk youth in Lancaster City who were not successfully engaged in traditional mentoring programs. What began as a simple desire to be of service in the community has developed into an organization that serves over 100 youth each day across seven different initiatives in Lancaster County.
Bench Mark employs a team of twenty-two individuals to serve youth in a variety of capacities: within the detention center, within the high school, within the community, and within the local workforce. Six of these team members are youth who have graduated from the program themselves. The focus of Bench Mark is to support youth with 1:1 and group mentoring over the span of years, not months, boasting an average program service time per student of 38 months. Bench Mark’s referral partners include the Lancaster County Dept. of Juvenile Probation and the Lancaster County Children and Youth Agency, among others. The organization’s $750K+ annual operating budget is supported by six different funding streams, including donations, contracts, and grants.
When Will is not at work, he loves spending time with his wife Karla, who is currently studying to get her law degree at Penn State Dickinson Law School, and their adopted son Kenny, who is studying to get his Bachelor's Degree at Washington College.