OJJDP is pleased to announce that the following professionals have recently joined the team. Their talent and expertise will be a significant asset in the Office’s work to enhance public safety, ensure youth are held appropriately accountable, and empower youth to live productive and law-abiding lives. OJJDP extends a warm welcome to all of them.

Leonora Fleming is a program manager in OJJDP’s Special Victims and Violent Offenders Division. Her work focuses on youth mentoring programs as well as programs that support victims of gang violence and school-based approaches to youth violence and victimization. Before joining OJJDP, she was a management analyst/review systems specialist in the Division of Grant Review at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. In that position, she managed the discretionary grant application process for the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, and Center for Mental Health Services. Ms. Fleming received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in criminology and criminal justice from Florida State University. 

Nicole McCrae is a grants management specialist in OJJDP’s State Relations and Assistance Division. She serves as the colead of OJJDP’s Title II Formula Grants program and provides guidance and specialized assistance on compliance-related issues for Arkansas, the District of Columbia, Nevada, New York, Pennsylvania, and the Virgin Islands. Previously, Ms. McCrae worked as a grant program specialist in the Grants Administration Division of the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), where her primary responsibility was the development and implementation of the COPS Hiring Program. Ms. McCrae earned a bachelor’s degree in business management from Hampton University and a master’s degree in business management (with an emphasis on criminal justice) from the University of Maryland.

Heather McDonald, who recently celebrated 16 years of federal service, works as a grants management specialist in OJJDP’s Intervention Division. Her portfolio includes grantees of the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation Purpose Area 8, which supports Tribal juvenile healing to wellness courts. She also manages the Office’s Delinquency Prevention program. Previously, Ms. McDonald worked for the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) as a program officer with AmeriCorps State and National. She managed a portfolio of grants supporting AmeriCorps members throughout the United States and served as one of the department's Healthy Futures subject matter experts. Prior to her employment at CNCS, Ms. McDonald served as a country desk assistant in the Africa region of the Peace Corps, an English teacher in Japan, and a parliamentary assistant in the House of Commons (United Kingdom). Ms. McDonald holds a bachelor’s degree in international studies (Western Europe) from Central College in Pella, IA.

William “Alex” Sarrano serves as a grants management specialist focusing on mentoring and gang suppression programs in OJJDP’s Special Victims and Violent Offenders Division. He has worked in the federal government for 11 years, most recently at the Department of Education. During his 6 years at the Department, Mr. Sarrano worked as a grants management specialist in the Office of Postsecondary Education, overseeing programs that sought to increase the number of low-income, first-generation students who complete high school and continue on to college. Mr. Sarrano holds a bachelor’s degree in public administration from George Mason University and a master’s degree in education policy studies from George Washington University.

James A. Smith is a grant program manager with OJJDP’s Intervention Division. He oversees the Juvenile Justice System Enhancements program; the Second Chance Act Strengthening Relationships Between Young Fathers, Young Mothers, and Their Children program; and the Addressing the Needs of Incarcerated Parents and Their Minor Children program. In addition, Mr. Smith serves as cochair of the Coordinated Tribal Assistance Solicitation outreach committee. Before joining OJJDP, Mr. Smith worked at the Office on Violence Against Women and the Office of Community Oriented Policing Services, where his focus was program development and design. In 2019, Mr. Smith graduated from the Department of Justice’s Leadership Excellence Achievement Program, a competitive program designed to prepare talented and high-performing employees for future management positions. During the program, Mr. Smith spent 6 months on detail in the Bureau of Justice Assistance’s Policy Division. He is an adjunct professor at George Mason University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in government and international politics and a master’s degree in education.