Conference Presenters

Chief Justice Steven R. Jensen
South Dakota Supreme Court

Chief Justice Steven R. Jensen was appointed to the South Dakota Supreme Court and sworn in on Nov. 3, 2017. Chief Justice Jensen was selected by his colleagues on the Court to serve as Chief Justice beginning in January 2021. He was reselected to a second, four-year term as Chief Justice beginning Jan. 6, 2025. Chief Justice Jensen grew up on a farm near Wakonda, S.D. He received his undergraduate degree from Bethel University in St. Paul, Minn., in 1985 and his juris doctor from the University of South Dakota School of Law in 1988. He clerked for Justice Richard W. Sabers on the South Dakota Supreme Court before entering private practice in 1989 with the Crary Huff Law Firm in Sioux City, Iowa, and Dakota Dunes, S.D. In 2003, Justice Jensen was appointed as a First Judicial Circuit judge and became presiding judge in 2011. Chief Justice Jensen served as chair of the Unified Judicial System’s Presiding Judges Council, president of the South Dakota Judges Association, and has served on other boards and commission. In 2009, Chief Justice Jensen was appointed as a Judicial Fellow to the Advanced Science and Technology Adjudication Resource Center in Washington D.C.

Shane Wolf
Director of E-Learning, All Rise

Shane Wolf is the director of e-learning at All Rise, responsible for overseeing the All Rise E-Learning Center and coordinating the development of online training materials and tools for the field. He trains treatment court teams on the Adult Treatment Court Best Practice Standards. Shane began his journey with All Rise in 2016 as a project director at Impaired Driving Solutions. With a strong passion for treatment courts, he brings 20 years of experience in treatment, juvenile and adult supervision. He previously worked as the court coordinator in Clark County, Washington, where he managed the DWI/drug hybrid, veterans, and mental health courts. Shane is adept at fulfilling various roles, implementing new programs for first-time juvenile offenders, exploring detention alternatives, and teaching programs like Thinking 4 Change (T4C) and Aggression Replacement Training (ART). His expertise in program development and implementation motivated him to earn a master's degree focused on evaluating programs and integrating technology into curricula. Shane has also served as an adult probation officer and a juvenile probation officer/guardian ad litem in Washington. He holds an M.S. in instructional design from Quinnipiac University and a B.A. in psychology from Eastern Washington University. 

Building & Maintaining Your Team Roles
This presentation illuminates the critical role of team building in fostering a positive and productive workplace environment. Emphasizing the significance of cohesive teams in achieving organizational goals, it explores various aspects of team dynamics, communication, and collaboration. Participants will gain valuable insights into strategies for creating a strong team culture, resolving conflicts, and promoting a collaborative atmosphere that encourages individual and collective growth.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the impact of team building on organizational success.
2. Develop strategies for building a positive team culture.
3. Learn conflict resolution techniques for stronger teams

When Incentives and Sanctions Don’t Work: Responding to Addiction-Driven Noncompliance
Incentives and sanctions, also known as contingency management, are essential to treatment court success. When properly used, they are a powerful tool for improving client behavior and program outcomes. Treatment courts achieve better outcomes when practitioners understand the science behind behavior management and apply the principles. The research is clear—reliably impacting participant behavior requires both consistent reinforcement of positive behaviors and reliable responses to undesirable behaviors. Nonetheless, despite our best intentions (and perhaps the best intentions of the participants), sometimes incentives and sanctions don’t work. For some participants, our responses to behavior seem to have no impact. To truly change behavior, we must understand and respond in ways consistent with decades of research and achieve the desired outcome. This requires understanding who the individual is, what risks and needs they present, and setting up programming that carries the best chance of lasting behavior change. We discuss essential elements of effective behavior modification in a treatment court and reveal what actions a program should consider when its efforts appear futile. This session will examine the difference between compliance and behavior change, effective practices in responding to behavior, and setting up programming based on the individual's risk and need.

Learning Objectives:

1. Understand the science underlying incentives, sanctions, and other responses in treatment courts.
2. Understand the essential elements of effective behavior modification in treatment courts.
3. Discuss when contingency management doesn’t work and actions a program can take to address those causes of failure.

Desiree Hermocillo
Statewide Problem-Solving Court Unit Manager, Colorado Judicial Branch

Desiree Hermocillo serves as the statewide problem-solving court unit manager for the Colorado Judicial Branch, where she specializes in administrative policy and procedures. With a focus on strategic planning, staff supervision and guiding the work of Colorado Problem-Solving Courts at a statewide level, Desiree plays a pivotal role in shaping the direction and efficacy of these crucial programs.  As a dynamic leader in the field of criminal justice, Desiree brings a wealth of expertise and passion to her role. With a keen understanding of the intersection between behavioral health and the criminal justice system, she believes in  the transformative power of problem-solving courts. Through her strategic leadership and commitment to excellence, Desiree strives to ensure that the programs within the criminal justice programs unit emerge as leaders in spaces where behavioral health intersects with the legal system.

Establishing and Maximizing Your Local Steering Committee
This two-part workshop provides treatment court teams with a structured approach to establishing and strengthening local steering committees within the three-tier governance model. Participants will examine the purpose and functions of steering committees, explore practical strategies for member engagement and sustainability, and complete guided exercises to map governance roles and develop actionable goals. The session equips teams with tools and templates to support effective governance, collaboration and long-term program success.

Garry Metcalf
Toxicology Unit Supervisor, Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations

Garry Metcalfe, B.S., has worked in the field of toxicology since 2001. He began his career working postmortem toxicology cases with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner for the state of Oklahoma. He spent his time at the medical examiner’s office testing a variety of specimens like blood, liver, urine, gastric contents, bile and vitreous humor. After 12 years, he transitioned to working for the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigations (OSBI), where his focus switched from postmortem toxicology to  antemortem toxicology. At OSBI, he tests mostly blood and urine for the presence of drugs in suspected DUI cases. His role requires him to perform tests for the presence of various drugs such as THC, synthetic cannabinoids and other designer drugs, prepares a report and testifies on the results in court. He has been deemed an expert witness in the state of Oklahoma. He has assisted in the validation of newer synthetic cannabinoids to existing procedures at the OSBI. As a part of his role, he has audited the Drug Recognition Expert program. While at the OSBI, he took over the administration of the Forensic Science Academy, which is a program designed by the OSBI to provide a better understanding of the test performed at the OSBI to judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys in the state of Oklahoma. Garry promoted to supervisor of the toxicology unit at OSBI in 2022.  Garry has completed the course for ANAB (ANSI National Accreditation Board). This course makes him eligible to access other laboratories for accreditation by ANAB. He also is a former assistant teacher for the University of Central Oklahoma. In this role, he assisted in a senior level forensic toxicology laboratory class. Garry has volunteered for numerous community outreach programs to educate the community on the field of toxicology. Garry is a former board member and past president of the Southwestern Association of Forensic Toxicology (SAT). He has also attended the Borkenstein Drug Course, DEA Forensic Chemist Seminar and the Midwest Forensic Resource Training Program.

Peeling Back the Curtain on Drug Testing
This presentation was designed for people that are not familiar with how drug testing is performed in the lab. The major learning objectives of the presentation are:

• Give a behind-the-scenes look at how a toxicology lab performs a drug test.
• Understanding some of the strategies for differentiating between CBD and THC.
• Understanding new drug trends.
• Determining fact versus fiction of common drug myths.

After the presentation, attendees will better understand the instruments used in the lab, how drug confirmation is determined and how specimen tampering can affect drug tests. This presentation will also introduce some sources of information available on the web to drug abusers. These sources provide guidance on beating drug tests. After the presentation, time will be given to answer any questions that may arise during the presentation.

Helen Feroli
Consulting Business Owner

Helen Feroli owns a consulting business where she is able to harness her more than 25 years of experience in human services to assist new and existing agencies in the areas of staff and program development, quality management, licensing and accreditation. She also works part-time providing mental health and substance use disorder counseling services. Helen has worked with treatment courts since 2011 and has served as a consultant faculty member with NADCP since 2016. She is committed to giving back to her community and serves as a volunteer with the American Red Cross and on the board of a local nonprofit organization providing sober housing and wraparound services to families affected by addiction. Helen received her master of arts in clinical psychology from Bridgewater University. She lives in Bend, Oregon, with her husband and daughter. In her free time, Helen enjoys gardening, horseback riding, historical fiction, and spoiling their two large dogs.

Collaborative Case Planning
The ultimate goal of treatments courts is recovery for its participants. To achieve this, treatment courts must not only treat substance use or mental health disorders but also target criminogenic needs. Treatment providers develop treatment plans and supervision officers and/or case managers create supervision case plans. This can inadvertently lead to overwhelming the participant (too many goals at once) or conflicting goals (addressing different priorities first). Integrated case planning not only puts everyone on the same page but uses the same sheet of paper. In this interactive session, the presenters (a clinician and probation officer) will provide cross training on: a) the domains of risk assessments, identifying criminogenic needs and drivers; b) the diagnosis from clinical assessments and the ASAM dimensions; and c) how the information from the assessments should be used to develop an integrated case plan. But the work doesn’t end there! Case plans are fluid and should be regularly discussed with the participant and during staffing; and updated as goals are completed and/or change. Additionally, the presenters will show how utilizing integrated case plans can provide opportunities to incentivize behavior change.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn how to utilize both the treatment assessments and risk assessment to identify areas for intervention.
2. Learn how to help participants identify and develop SMART goals and strategies.
3. Learn how the use of integrated case planning creates opportunities for incentives and provides the ability for the entire team to be involved in the participants’ progress and success.

Co-Occurring or Mental Health Court: It's the Same Thing, Right?
The Co-Occurring Disorders Court has a specialty docket for eligible individuals whose involvement with the criminal justice system has been fueled by serious substance use disorders (drugs and/or alcohol) and co-occurring mental health disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder, severe depression or anxiety. The Mental Health Court seeks to improve the well-being of justice-involved individuals living with mental illness by linking them with court-supervised, community-based treatment. Eligible participants are those living with a mental illness that is related to their current criminal justice involvement and whose participation in the Mental Health Court will not create an increased risk to public safety. Some participants in Mental Health Court may have a substance use disorder as well. The question then becomes: which placement is correct – Co-Occurring Disorders Court or Mental Health Court?

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will be able to identify the differences between Co-Occurring Courts and Mental Health Courts and the individuals each serve.
2. Participants will learn practical strategies for their teams to implement when working within these two courts.
3. Participants will learn Evidence-based strategies and promising services for those with serious mental illness.

Brandi Storgaard
Project Specialist, South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault (The Network)

Brandi Storgaard has been with the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault for three years and serves as a project specialist. Brandi provides training, technical assistance and consultation regarding family violence, specifically intimate partner violence, and sexual assault. Brandi has been in the human services field for more than 15 years. Brandi has experience working with youth and families, advocacy, education, crisis support, multidisciplinary work and grants management. Brandi believes empowering others through education and awareness can create a wave of change for a safer and more resilient South Dakota. Brandi received her BS degree in criminal justice with a concentration in human services from Colorado Technical University in Sioux Falls.

Kathy Rutten
Assistant Director, South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault (The Network)

Kathy Rutten has been in the domestic violence and sexual assault field for more than 23 years. She has a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a masters degree in counseling. She currently is the assistant director for the South Dakota Network Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault and provides training and technical assistance to agencies across the state who work with victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking and human trafficking. Previously, Kathy coordinated a training team that traveled across the state of South Dakota providing law enforcement trainings on how to respond effectively to domestic violence, sexual assault and stalking cases. The training team is made up of a law enforcement officer, a prosecutor and a victim advocate. Kathy also trained as the victim advocate on the team. In the past, Kathy has worked as an advocate and counselor at Children’s Inn (now known as Children’s Home Shelter for Family Safety) which is a domestic violence shelter in Sioux Falls.  

Intimate Partner Violence
This training provides an overview of domestic violence, its dynamics and the role of professionals in supporting victims. Key topics will include the definition and forms of domestic violence, the power and control wheel, impact on victims, barriers to leaving, challenges for professionals, and victim services and resources.