About Us
Carey Group is composed of practitioners with years of experience in federal, state, and local government, as well as in the not-for-profit and private sectors. As former executives, managers, and direct services staff, we understand the promise of the future and the difficulties of the present. Our purpose is to assist criminal and juvenile justice and behavioral health systems in the achievement of their goals by offering professional consulting services, staff training, tools, and more.
Who We Are
Carey Group Staff
Susan Burke,
Executive Director
Susan Burke is executive director of Carey Group. As a former probation executive and head of a state juvenile corrections agency, Susan Burke brings nearly 30 years of experience in the justice field to her position. She led both adult and juvenile justice reform in Utah; championed legislation to offer treatment rather than incarceration to people in the justice system who are dependent on substances; shaped state policies on a variety of justice-related issues; and served on many national boards. She is the former president of the American Probation and Parole Association and has served on the executive committees for the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators, the Justice Center Board for the Council of State Governments, and the National Association of Probation Executives.
Susan received the Youth Advocate of the Year award in 2002 and again in 2018 from the Utah Board of Juvenile Justice. She also received, from the Council of Juvenile Corrections Administrators, the President’s Award in 2013 and the Outstanding Administrator Award in 2015, and, in 2020, she received the Walter Dunbar Memorial Award from the American Probation and Parole Association. Susan has spoken at national conferences, been a keynote speaker, and is an inspirational leader for community corrections.
Rick Parsons,
Deputy Director
Richmond "Rick" Parsons joined Carey Group in 2022 as deputy director after 30+ years of probation and parole experience in two Pennsylvania counties. In addition to his leadership roles at the county level, he served on the Governor’s Advisory Board of Probation, the executive board of the County Chief Adult Probation and Parole Officers Association of Pennsylvania, and the Pennsylvania Evidence-Based Practices Implementation Team. He is a founder and past president of the Mid-Atlantic Region Chapter of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers. He specializes in identifying organizational roadblocks and facilitating needed organizational changes.
Rick’s career began in the Adult Probation and Parole Department of Montgomery County near Philadelphia. As an officer, he developed expertise in supervising sexual offenders and treatment courts operations. He co-founded a consulting firm to offer training primarily focusing on the management and treatment of individuals who sexually offend and retired as deputy chief in 2015.
In 2016, Carbon County, PA hired Rick as the chief of Adult Probation and Parole. He facilitated rapid organizational modernization to upgrade departmental supervision practices through continuous training and technological innovation. He started and coordinated the county's Veterans and Drug Treatment Courts. During his tenure, the department nearly doubled in size due to strategic identification of grant funding opportunities. His experience provided notable improvements to the county’s criminal justice processes as well as to the prison and supervised populations.
Rick was honored for his efforts throughout his career including the Matty Muir Award from the Victim Services Center of Montgomery County for his work with victims; the Montgomery County Office of the District Attorney Unit Commendation for the accomplishments of the sex offender unit that he supervised, and the Award for Exceptional Services to Benefit Children and Youth for his work with adolescents.
Rick holds a bachelor of arts in interdisciplinary studies in criminal justice from American University and a master’s of science in administration from West Chester University.
Shana Rigelhaupt,
Product Manager
Shana Rigelhaupt is the IT manager for Carey Group. She is responsible for planning, coordinating, and implementing technology and software solutions, including the Tools on Devices (TOD) platform and the 4:1 Behavior Management System®.
Shana has 15 years of web design and development experience and has worked for several nonprofit agencies as well as the United States Marine Corps. In addition, Shana has seven years of experience working as a production manager for The Focal Point, LLC, a legal graphics firm. Shana holds a BFA in photography from The Maryland Institute College of Art and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Mary Washington.
Christine Toner,
Training Coordinator
Christine Toner is Carey Group’s training coordinator and a licensed clinical social worker. She has worked with state and local correctional and governmental agencies on the implementation of, and training and consulting in, evidence-based practices. Christine has trained extensively on cognitive-behavioral programs such as Thinking for a Change, engaging families, and effective case management. She is also a MINT-certified motivational interviewing trainer.
Prior to joining Carey Group, Christine worked for the New York City Department of Probation as deputy director of the Division of Staff and Organizational Development, where she was responsible for developing and providing training to the department’s 1,600 probation officers. As clinical director for the national nonprofit agency Family Justice, she addressed the development and quality improvement of the Bodega Model, a strengths-based, family-focused case management approach. Christine is also an adjunct professor at Fordham University School of Social Services in New York City.
Amy Youngblood,
Development Manager
Amy Youngblood holds a computer science degree from Georgia State University and comes to Carey Group with 18 years of software development and consulting experience. She began her career as a consultant for Microsoft, gaining hands-on experience developing cutting-edge technology. From there, she worked with companies such as Williams Telecommunications, Chesapeake Energy, Coca Cola, and Opteum Financial Services, where she managed the development team and oversaw all in-house development. Amy went on to start her own company, specializing in developing custom software for business, government, and nonprofit organizations. For the past 15 years, Amy has been developing applications for the justice field, including web-based systems to manage the movement of people through the court system and to map the locations of people convicted of sex offenses, and Windows-based applications to capture and manage data used to predict jail and prison populations.
Jose Montalban,
Customer Support Associate
Jose Montalban is the Customer Support Associate for Carey Group. He is responsible for providing administrative and customer service support. Jose minored in Public Health and holds a Health Science degree from Kennesaw State University.
Jacob Boyce,
Developer
Jacob Boyce comes to Carey Group as a developer responsible for helping to maintain and create the online services provided. He holds a software development degree from Georgia Gwinnett College and began his career working briefly as an acting Robotics Teacher at GSMST, where he helped students continue their education by stepping in for a teacher on temporary leave. Afterwards, he worked for the Environmental Protection Agency for a few years as a software developer, creating environmental tracking applications and predictive modeling services for waterbodies.
Carey Group Consultants
Mark Carey,
Founder
Mark Carey is the founder of The Carey Group and Carey Group Publishing ("Carey Group"). Previously, he served as the deputy commissioner of Community and Juvenile Services for the Minnesota Department of Corrections, the director of Dakota County Community Corrections, the director of Dodge-Fillmore-Olmsted County Community Corrections, and the warden of MCF-Shakopee, the only women’s prison in Minnesota. He has more than 40 years of experience in the correctional field, serving as a counselor, probation/parole officer, planner, administrator, and consultant. Mark also taught juvenile justice at the community college in Rochester, Minnesota, and has authored more than three dozen publications on a variety of justice system topics.
Mark previously served as president of the American Probation and Parole Association (APPA), and he has been on APPA’s board of directors since 1997. In 1996, he received APPA’s Sam Houston University Award. Mark has also served as president and chair of several other associations and task forces and is a frequently requested keynote speaker and trainer. In 1993, he was selected as the Corrections Person of the Year by the Minnesota Corrections Association.
Madeline (Mimi) Carter,
Co-Founder
Madeline (Mimi) Carter joined The Carey Group and Carey Group Publishing ("Carey Group") as a partner in 2012. She began her career in the justice field working for the Montgomery County (Maryland) Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, serving as resident supervisor, correctional counselor, and screener for the pre-release center. She oversaw the development of the county’s pretrial services agency and served as the supervisor of its screening unit following implementation.
After a decade of government service, Mimi joined the Center for Effective Public Policy, where she served as a principal and managing partner for over 30 years. Mimi has managed numerous national, state, and local projects on a variety of topics, including implementing evidence-based practices and decision making, advancing effective prisoner reentry strategies, establishing and maintaining multidisciplinary collaborative teams, and working with populations with specific needs, including women who are system-involved and people convicted of sex offenses. In addition, Mimi has over two decades of experience advancing policy and practice around probation and parole violations. She has worked directly with more than 30 agencies and statewide jurisdictions across the country on this topic, designing policy frameworks that guide responses to the behavior (both prosocial and noncompliant) of people who are system-involved. She has published on the topic of responses to probation and parole violations (see http://nicic.gov/Library/016858), including a 2015 National Institute of Corrections-sponsored monograph on the state of the art in behavior management (see https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.nicic.gov/Library/029553.pdf). She also conceptualized the dosage probation model (https://s3.amazonaws.com/static.nicic.gov/Library/027940.pdf) and supported work in five pilot sites. Mimi trains extensively on risk reduction research and strategies and works closely with state and local jurisdictions interested in advancing policy and practice and improving justice system outcomes.
Mimi holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in criminal justice administration from the American University. She has written or edited more than 80 publications on justice system topics.
Carey Group Training Team
DeBaja Coleman
DeBaja Coleman serves as the Director of Victim and Volunteer Services at the Office of Professional Development & Standards for the Georgia Department of Juvenile Justice, where she provides statewide leadership for the Victim and Volunteer Services Unit. In this critical role, she oversees a dedicated team and drives the development of policies, training programs, and public education initiatives. With over 20 years of service at the Department, Ms. Coleman has held various positions, including Social Services Worker, Program Coordinator, and Academy Director, consistently demonstrating her commitment to enhancing community resources and advocating for juvenile victims.
In addition to her leadership at the Department of Juvenile Justice, Ms. Coleman has served as an adjunct instructor for the past two years at American InterContinental University and previously at the University of Phoenix, bringing her extensive field experience into the classroom. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology with a minor in Criminal Justice and a Master of Education with a concentration in History from Georgia State University.
Ms. Coleman's leadership also extends into her community and professional organizations. She chairs the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee for the American Probation and Parole Association and serves as President and Southeast Regional Representative for the Georgia Chapter of the National Association of Blacks in Criminal Justice. Additionally, she is a board member for the Westside Works advisory board, further demonstrating her commitment to community engagement.
A certified John Maxwell trainer, Ms. Coleman also holds a range of professional certifications, including POST Senior Instructor, Peer Support, Resiliency Instructor, and Balance and Restorative Justice. Her expertise as a trainer has earned her invitations to speak at national conferences across the country. A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she continues to be an advocate for professional development and community service.
Stacy Ledvina
Stacy Ledvina has been a trainer for Carey Group since 2013. She graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh with a bachelor of social work and from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a master of social work. She has been employed in a variety of positions at the Manitowoc County Human Services Department since 1998, primarily in the juvenile justice field. Currently, Stacy is a supervisor of the Youth and Family Services Unit.
Stacy is dedicated to system reform efforts and to utilizing best practices to ensure positive outcomes. Collaborating with system stakeholders is one of Stacy’s notable strengths and has allowed her to be a leader in establishing a Criminal Justice Coordinating Council for Manitowoc. Stacy is also actively involved in the Wisconsin Juvenile Court Intake Association. Stacy took an active role in developing Wisconsin’s Juvenile Justice Practice Model and is committed to helping others in their system reform efforts.
Michelle Lunn
Michelle Lunn has more than 25 years of experience in the justice field. After earning her bachelor’s degree in criminology, she worked in Fresno County, California, as a probation officer with youth who were detained in a six-month local program. She moved to Arizona in 1995, where she became a youth detention officer and transitioned to a probation officer position shortly thereafter. She has worked various field assignments, including standard and intensive probation. She became a probation officer training coordinator before being promoted to supervisor in 2002. She has held supervisory roles in the detention facility, intensive probation, training unit, and staff development. She was instrumental in implementing evidence-based practices (EBP) within the Maricopa County Juvenile Probation Department and ran an early adopters’ group for staff interested in increasing their knowledge and skills around the use of EBP. She has experience in the development of policies and procedures related to EBP and has participated on an EBP sustainability committee. Michelle is currently the detention division manager at Pinal County Juvenile Court Services, and has also managed the probation, diversion, and treatment divisions. Michelle holds a master’s degree in education and has a passion for coaching and educating staff. She participated in the Reimagining Juvenile Justice Train-the-Trainer initiative in 2019 and has facilitated courses for juvenile justice system partners. She joined Carey Group’s training team in 2019.
Karen Peterson
Karen Peterson comes to Carey Group with over 25 years of experience working in all facets of the justice system. She has a bachelor’s degree from Ferris State University and a master’s degree from Michigan State University. Karen spent the early part of her career working for Genesee County, in Flint, Michigan, at a juvenile residential center and then for 5 years as a juvenile probation officer. Since leaving Genesee County, Karen has worked for Oakland County, Michigan, in its Community Corrections department.
For more than 16 years, Karen was the supervisor of Oakland County Community Corrections’ Step Forward program, which is a post-sentencing treatment program for nonviolent people who are justice-involved. Step Forward focuses on reducing recidivism by addressing people’s criminogenic needs, as identified by risk/needs assessments, through an array of evidence-based programming. Karen is now the supervisor of Oakland County Community Corrections’ Pretrial Supervision program and has been working on meeting the national standards for pretrial release.
Karen was a member of the 6th Circuit Adult Treatment Court for 10 years and has a passion for specialized courts. Additionally, she enjoys training fellow justice system peers on research-based practices and has trained the Michigan Department of Corrections on a pilot project to utilize the Carey Guides with the people it supervises. Karen is thrilled to be part of Carey Group’s training team as of 2019.
Reginald Prince
Reginald Prince has worked in various positions in corrections in his 22-year career, starting as a correctional officer and moving onto roles as a probation officer, evidence-based practices (EBP) planning specialist, and juvenile treatment facility supervisor. He is a member of the Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT), a National Institute of Corrections’ Technical Resource Provider for Thinking for a Change (T4C), a Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity (MITI 4.1) coder, the lead trainer for MI with Minneapolis College’s continuing education department, and a trainer of trainers in LS-CMI, YLS-CMI, MI, case management, T4C, and other EBP programming. He has trained professionals in fields such as health care, social services, chemical dependency, severe and persistent mental illness, and corrections to be facilitators, coaches, trainers, and practitioners of effective behavior change practices. Reginald has also led strategic planning and implementation of EBP programming for several state, local, and county departments; he has co-authored a practitioner’s guide to implementing cognitive-behavioral programming, Implementing Successful Cognitive Behavioral Interventions: Program Administration and Management; Staff Development; Application to Diverse Populations; and he is co-founder and vice president of KWST, an education equity nonprofit organization.
Reginald has a bachelor of arts in psychology and sociology with a minor in social work. He joined Carey Group’s training team in 2019.
Geralyn "Gerri" Riley
Geralyn "Gerri" Riley joined Carey Group’s training team in 2022. She has worked in various positions in corrections during her 30-year career, starting as a correctional officer. Other roles have included Institutional Training Officer, Director of Treatment, Director of Reentry Services, and Training Manager. Gerri worked for the Division of Staff Development for the Massachusetts Department of Corrections DOC for ten years. She developed, implemented, and supervised Executive Team leadership courses and in-service training, and was also the New Employee Orientation coordinator. She has been a Thinking for a Change (T4C) facilitator and trainer for the National Institute of Corrections and most recently co-authored the blended (in-person and virtual) T4C curriculum for both group facilitators and Training of Trainers. She has trained thousands of professionals in corrections, parole, and probation, as well as community service providers. Gerri has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Northeastern University.
"Carey Group provided our Evidence-Based Decision-Making Team with the highest level of professional excellence in organizational leadership and knowledge of justice systems. With personal integrity and passion, they took the time to listen to and understand our community’s needs and values to help us implement evidence-based practices in a thoughtful and strategic way."
Community Corrections Administrator, Southern State
"Introducing and implementing a strategic planning process for a subdivision of a large state corrections agency can be a daunting task, especially with limited time and budget. Carey Group rose to the challenge, worked closely with agency staff and administrators to design a strategic planning process that would work for our department, and facilitated a process that elicited input and consensus from all levels within the organization. Their approach kept staff engaged and committed to developing a plan that provides us with a roadmap to our future."
Operations Director, State Parole Agency
"I have had the pleasure of working with Carey Group in different executive-level capacities over the past 12 years through my association with three separate departments. Their performance has always been impeccable; their guidance and leadership welcomed by all levels; and the task at hand has always been completed professionally, on time, within budget, and at the high quality that is a longstanding characteristic of Carey Group. The size, complexity, and political environment of each department were significant factors that were carefully weighed and considered by Carey Group as they planned and carried out their work. Their combined experience of over 70 years in the criminal and juvenile justice fields brought extensive expertise, skills, and the ability to maneuver complex systems with ease, sensitivity, and flare."
Executive Leader, Urban Correctional Department
"The decision to work with Carey Group was easy and, in hindsight, simply brilliant. The key to success with any major change initiative is getting the right people on your team at the right time. Carey Group worked with us during the kickoff of our Evidence-Based Initiative. Their assistance with engaging our stakeholders and conducting the strategic planning process, and their guidance on implementation, have created the foundation for our success."
Community Corrections Director in an Urban Area, Southern State
"If your agency is about to embark on changing the environment from a traditional model of probation supervision to one based on sound principles of evidence-based practices, you can have no better guide than Carey Group."
Probation Chief, Midwestern State
"Carey Group provides outstanding leadership, integrity, a positive attitude, and a caring spirit. They helped us understand where we were at that time, where we wanted to go, and how we were going to get there. Thank you so much for all you do and who you are."
Community Corrections Administrator,, Midwestern State
"Our division would be lost without Carey Group’s training services. We have loved building what feels more like a partnership than a business transaction. Carey Group staff are very knowledgeable in evidence-based practices and have practical experience, which helps them connect to those they train. They add layers of insight, practicality, and passion that is so often missed in the training provided by others. Our staff always leave Carey Group trainings inspired and eager to implement what we have learned."
Community Corrections Administrator
"Carey Group is a remarkable team of individuals. They are front and center in offering products, training, and technical assistance on current and emerging best practices. They are responsive, professional, and knowledgeable. Their trainers are prepared and polished in their delivery, and their content is always on point."
Statewide Probation Education Manager
"Training provided by Carey Group strengthened our agency’s evidence-based practices foundation. We had an introduction to EBP previously, but it was not until Carey Group helped us understand the research and overlaid it with firsthand field experience that front-line supervisors and officers could apply it in their day-to-day supervision duties."
Community Corrections Administrator,, Southeastern State
"Carey Group provided us with the inspiration and leadership we needed to implement evidence-based practices (EBP) in our department. Their reputation in the justice field as dedicated, passionate professionals committed to making a difference is well deserved. Their extensive knowledge of EBP research and delivery of EBP services is top-notch."
Corrections Administrator, Midwestern State
"Carey Group worked with our organizing committee closely to understand the goals of our conference and the needs of our audience. Their presentation and facilitation of our conference was as if they had been at the meetings with us for the 18 months preceding our event. The material they brought to us was provocative, educational, and entertaining. We could not have been more pleased."
Probation Chief, Western State
"As a result of Carey Group's training services, we now train the 10 Steps to Risk Reduction and Four Core Competencies in our Agent Basic Training Academy. Once on the job, agents use the 10 steps throughout their supervision of people on probation and parole and track the completion of the steps in their chronological notes."
Training Coordinator, State Probation & Parole Agency