Steve has over 27 years experience in juvenile justice and corrections. From 1993 to 2003, he headed the Texas Youth Commission (TYC), the state juvenile corrections agency responsible for serving Texas’ most violent and seriously delinquent youth.
As executive director at the TYC for ten years, Steve managed over 5,000 employees and a biennial budget of $500 million. During his tenure, he led Texas’ juvenile corrections agency through reorganization and massive population growth, multiple construction projects, and doubling of the agency’s workforce. Steve directed outsourcing and expanded contracting of services, resulting in cost savings and initiated unique or unusual programs, including a specialized treatment program for parolees and a residential program for juvenile female offenders and their babies.
Steve began his career in juvenile corrections at TYC in 1975 and held various positions with the agency including internal auditor, hearings examiner, halfway house administrator, and institution superintendent. He also served as chief of the Travis County Juvenile Probation Department in Austin for more than seven years.
As an expert witness, Steve is frequently called before the Texas Legislature and U.S. Congress. He previously served as an expert witness to the Louisiana Department of Youth Development in reviewing and developing recommendations for the state’s system of juvenile care. He currently serves in the same capacity under contract to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General and has worked with the U.S. Department of Justice Civil Rights Division as a juvenile justice expert. Steve is a former president of the Texas Probation Association and is active in other professional organizations including the American Correctional Association.
