Dennis Mondoro, OJJDP Strategic Community Development Officer.

Photo courtesy of Mr. Mondoro’s family.

Word of his death spread quickly among OJJDP staff and the many juvenile justice professionals across the country who Dennis had worked with throughout the years. The breadth of Dennis’ activities—his work with the National Gang Center, his advocacy for OJJDP’s work on community supervision, supporting states’ efforts to comply with the core protections of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, and his work on community youth violence prevention—brought him into constant contact with juvenile justice professionals at every level in every state.

“I knew Dennis for only a few brief weeks,” said OJJDP Administrator Caren Harp. “In that short time, I was impressed with his passion for his work, his dedication to our nation’s youth, his sense of humor, and how well he engaged with others. His skills with people and knowledge cannot be replaced.”

Dennis joined OJJDP in 1999. During his nearly two decades at OJJDP, he wore many hats. He began his OJJDP career as a state representative in the State Relations and Assistance Division. Over the next few years, he was instrumental in the development of OJJDP’s Comprehensive Strategy for Serious, Violent, and Chronic Juvenile Offenders; served as compliance monitor; managed the division’s training and technical assistance efforts; and served as a region chief, where he supervised six staff members while continuing to manage his state grants.

In 2004, Dennis was named a policy advisor focused on youth gangs and youth violence prevention. Following a reorganization in 2013, Dennis joined the Juvenile Justice System Improvement Division, where he served as a program manager and a senior policy advisor on youth gangs, community supervision, and community violence prevention programs. More recently, in addition to his other responsibilities, Dennis took on work as a compliance analyst in the Core Protections Division. Dennis would sometimes jokingly tell his supervisors: “Keep me busy; don’t let me not be busy.”

OJJDP Administrators often turned to Dennis for information on the juvenile justice system, policy development, and insight on how the juvenile justice system functioned at the state level. Kellie Blue, Associate Administrator and his supervisor in the Juvenile Justice System Improvement Division said of Dennis, “He was a rock when our division was getting started. He kept on telling me ‘don’t worry, we can get it done.’”

The states had no stronger advocate. Dennis was constantly in touch with OJJDP stakeholders in the states; he worked to ensure that the states had access to the most current resources, evidence-based programs, and training and technical assistance. Before his employment at OJJDP, Dennis served as a probation officer in nearby Fairfax County, VA. He sometimes introduced himself as a recovering probation officer when speaking to state and local professionals as a way to connect with his audience. He always connected with the people in the juvenile justice field in a personal way. He would shake the hands of youth in detention facilities and look them in the eye as he conversed with them.

OJJDP’s Juvenile Justice System Improvement Division sends our condolences to the Mondoro family. Dennis was not only a great colleague, but admired by many for being a mentor and friend. We will forever be grateful for the time we were able to share with him and the impact that his work has had on youth throughout the nation. Dennis will be missed and forever cherished by our team.

As word of Dennis' passing spread among the juvenile justice community across the country, many of the people who knew Dennis and had been touched by his work reached out to OJJDP to offer condolences or share their favorite memory of him. Following are a few of the messages that OJJDP received:

• Shay Bilchik, former OJJDP Administrator and current Director at the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform at Georgetown University: "Dennis had a unique combination of characteristics that made him who he was—smart, caring, thoughtful, fun loving, athletic, committed to others, and the guy you wanted on your side of any battle. He was tenacious! The fact that he devoted his career to children, youth, and families was a gift to all of us. Thank you, Dennis for all you did to better the lives of those most disadvantaged among us. Rest in peace."
• Jen Covino, Simon and Company Vice President: "Over the years, Dennis provided policy expertise and guidance to local elected officials and community partners in Tacoma, WA, as they worked to implement the OJJDP model of anti-gang violence strategies in targeted neighborhoods. It was such a pleasure to work with him on behalf of Tacoma; his sense of humor, focus on positive outcomes, and willingness to go the extra mile was a welcome respite. Dennis embodied all that is good in Americans who choose a career in public service, seeking to promote positive change within vulnerable communities. The value of those efforts is felt in the youth who received supportive services and gained greater opportunities. I sincerely hope that his family, friends, and colleagues will find some solace in knowing that his memory will live on in the communities where the work and cause endure."
• Meena Harris, Director of the National Gang Center: "Dennis had a vision for the National Gang Center. He adeptly understood its strategic alignment within the juvenile justice field and within the Department of Justice’s mission more broadly. Even though he possessed a tremendous amount of institutional and subject matter knowledge spanning his long career, he had a calm, unassuming, down-to-earth way of interacting with people in the field. His good-natured sense of humor and positive outlook on the work left people with a lasting impression. Dennis was at a high point in both his life and his occupation, yet had not even come close to a pinnacle. He was cherished by many and his legacy will never be forgotten by those who had the fortune of knowing him."

Read additional tributes to Dennis Mondoro.