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Home » About Norwich » SGS Today »
News Article
[Photo credit: ©iStockphoto.com/spxChrome].
MJA student scores spot in federal justice training program
by Gary E. Frank, correspondent
© July 3, 2009 Norwich University Office of Communications
A student in Norwich University's Master of Justice Administration (MJA) program is one of just four people selected for a leadership program that places her in the office that provides administrative support to U.S. courts.
Allyson Theophile, a supervisory pretrial services officer for the federal district court in Los Angeles, will spend one year in Washington, D.C., working in the central Probation and Pretrial Services office of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts (AO). She and three other Director's Leadership Program (DLP) participants will work on national initiatives and high-priority projects that affect federal courts nationwide.
"I hope to learn more about national policies regarding pretrial services and bring my experience back to my agency and apply what I've learned there," said Theophile, who started the program June 30, 2009.
This new education program was developed to improve relationships between federal courts around the country and administration in order to make the AO the "best service organization within the federal government," said Mary Stickney, special assistant of the deputy director of the AO.
"We are here to serve the courts," said Stickney. "We're looking for ways to reach out and to improve relationships and share knowledge across the courts and with us here in Washington."
Participants were chosen from a pool of applicants who work as senior or mid-level court staff or federal defender organization staff. Those selected have shown outstanding performance and competency in their respective duties. Theophile was one of 13 candidates for the residency in the Probation and Pretrial Services office.
Pretrial services officers like Theophile play a crucial role within the federal court system, balancing the defendant's right to supervised release with the court's concern that the defendant appear at subsequent hearings, and that he or she is not a danger to the public.
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“My MJA studies have helped to broaden my view of the agency. It just opened my eyes more about my work within the agency and what the agency is all about.”
— Allyson Theophile |
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Theophile, who is scheduled to complete her master's degree in August, has been a supervisory pretrial services officer since 2002. She has worked at federal and county levels for 18 years as both an officer and investigator.
"My MJA studies have helped to broaden my view of the agency," she said. "It just opened my eyes more about my work within the agency and what the agency is all about."
In particular, the Norwich program helped her to hone her research and writing skills, Theophile said. Interaction with fellow students from other areas of the criminal justice field offered the opportunity to share ideas and incorporate ideas generated by classmates into her own work.
She hopes to become chief pretrial services officer of a federal district court, which she said requires taking a broader view of issues and policies that arise. This ability to consider the larger picture was readily apparent from her cover letter, and greatly impressed the AO staff who reviewed her application, said Tim Cadigan, who heads the pretrial services office in Washington and is Theophile's supervisor. Her pursuit of a master's degree "absolutely" weighed in her favor during the selection process, said Cadigan.
"We see the DLP program as preparing someone to move on to leadership positions in our agency," he said. "We were looking for someone with a very well-rounded background, and education was a big part of that."
George Walker, chief U.S. pretrial services officer in Los Angeles, encouraged Theophile to apply for the residency.
"Allyson has always been someone who sets her sights on achieving more in her career," said Walker. "She was a natural for [the DLP] program."
It was a great honor for the Los Angeles office for Theophile to be selected, he said.
"She's grown up within the agency and moved up in the ranks," said Walker. "I like to think we share in the honor of her being selected for this new program."
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