Statement of Robert Crane, President of the JEHT Foundation, on behalf of the Foundation’s Board of Directors

Posted under General News on Monday, December 15, 2008

The JEHT Foundation, a national philanthropic organization, has stopped all grant making effective immediately and will close its doors at the end of January 2009. The funds of the donors to the Foundation, Jeanne Levy-Church and Kenneth Levy-Church, were managed by Bernard L. Madoff, a prominent financial advisor who was arrested last week for defrauding investors out of billions of dollars.

The Foundation was established in 2000. Its name stands for the values it holds dear: Justice, Equality, Human dignity and Tolerance. It supported programs that promoted reform of the criminal and juvenile justice systems; ensured that the United States adhered to the international rule of law; and work to improve the voting process by enhancing fair representation, competitive elections and government transparency.

The JEHT Foundation Board deeply regrets that the important work that the Foundation has undertaken over the years is ending so abruptly. The issues the Foundation addressed received very limited philanthropic support and the loss of the foundation’s funding and leadership will cause significant pain and disruption of the work for many dedicated people and organizations. The Foundation’s programs have met with significant success in recent years – promoting change in these critical areas in partnership with government and the non-profit sector. Hopefully others will look closely at this work and consider supporting it going forward.

Contact:
Robert Crane, President and CEO
JEHT Foundation
212-965-0400
rcrane@jehtfoundation.org

Peggy McGarry Appointed Director of Criminal Justice Programs

Posted under Trustees and Staff on Tuesday, July 29, 2008

The JEHT Foundation is pleased to announce the appointment of Peggy McGarry as Director of Criminal Justice Programs, with responsibility for JEHT’s criminal justice and juvenile justice work. Previously Ms. McGarry was Senior Program Manager in criminal justice for three years at the Foundation.

Prior to joining the JEHT Foundation, Ms. McGarry spent 21 years as a principal with the Center for Effective Public Policy where she directed many of its national training and technical assistance projects, including the Community Justice in Rural Communities and Tribal Courts project, the Community Prosecution Regional Trainings project, and the Police-Prosecutors Partnership project.

She directed many other projects over 21 years, including “Improving Community Responses to Women Offenders” for the National Institute of Corrections (NIC); and “An Agenda for the Nation on Violence Against Women” for both the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services. She directed ten years of the Center’s many projects on intermediate sanctions, working with over 50 policy teams in 21 states and the District of Columbia.
Ms. McGarry is the co-author of two guides to local criminal justice decision-making and several articles on community justice.

She provided training and technical assistance to paroling authorities, courts, probation agencies, state and local corrections departments, sentencing commissions, and a variety of other criminal justice and local government agencies. Ms. McGarry founded and directed Women Against Abuse in Philadelphia, a shelter and legal services program for victims of domestic violence, and served as the first president of the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

Alexa Avilés Appointed Program Manager for Juvenile Justice

Posted under Trustees and Staff on Monday, July 28, 2008

The JEHT Foundation is pleased to announce that Alexa Avilés has been appointed as the Foundation's Program Manager for juvenile justice. Previously, Ms. Avilés was the Senior Program Associate for the Juvenile Justice Program and a Program Associate for the Criminal Justice Program. Prior to her work with the JEHT Foundation, Ms. Avilés worked with a private foundation providing grants to social justice and Native American organizations throughout the U.S. She has also provided consulting services to several community-based organizations throughout New York City. Ms. Avilés is a graduate of Columbia College and Baruch's School of Public Affairs and an alumna of the National Urban Fellows.