ANNAPOLIS, MD—Governor Wes Moore on Monday announced the appointment of Betsy Fox Tolentino as acting secretary for the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services, effective June 11, 2025.
Tolentino, who currently serves as managing director of juvenile and young adult justice initiatives at The Roca Impact Institute, will take over leadership of the state agency.
“My highest priority is keeping our communities safe,” Moore said in a statement, highlighting recent drops in crime, homicides and non-fatal shootings to their lowest levels in a decade. “We knew when we took office that the Department of Juveniles Services was one of the most troubled in all of State government. We need to continue to move fast and diligently in order to turn it around.”
Moore praised Tolentino’s focus on “safety for all communities … defined by executional excellence, accountability for justice-involved youth, support for the staff who serve them, and sturdy grounding in the law.”
Tolentino brings 18 years of experience in criminal and juvenile justice advocacy, policy development and system building. Before her role at The Roca Impact Institute, she was the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services Deputy Secretary of Community Operations, where she developed collaborations between police departments and DJS to improve public safety.
Senate President Bill Ferguson commended Tolentino’s “experience in successful operations at the Department of Juvenile Services,” adding that her “organizational management skills will be an asset to reform.”
House Judiciary Committee Chair Luke Clippinger said he looks forward to working with Tolentino and the governor “to improve programming and outcomes at the Department of Juvenile Services.”
Judicial Proceedings Committee Member Sen. Mike McKay called Tolentino’s appointment “a new day and a new chapter for juvenile services in Maryland.”
Molly Baldwin, Founder and CEO of Roca, Inc., lauded Tolentino’s “deep understanding of the challenges young people face and what they are capable of achieving with the right support in the system.”
Moore also thanked outgoing Secretary Vincent Schiraldi for his service, noting his “decades of experience and innovative thinking” and efforts, including the “award-winning Thrive Academy.”
Tolentino is a graduate of Southern Oregon University and Widener University School of Law. She also volunteers with community-based organizations and serves on the Mentor MD/DC board of directors, and is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Baltimore County.
Delegates Ryan Nawrocki and Kathy Szeliga, meanwhile, released a joint statement in response to the departure of Schiraldi.
“I’ve been sounding the alarm for months regarding Secretary Schiraldi’s failure as the head of the Department of Juvenile Services,” said Delegate Nawrocki. “With the firing of Schiraldi, the department must now work to reverse the rising juvenile crime rates and lack of consequences that have failed our communities. It is time for real solutions that stop the spread of crime that plagues our streets.”
“Secretary Schiraldi should have been fired months ago,” said Delegate Kathy Szeliga. “There’s zero accountability for repeat juvenile offenders. A 16-year-old linked to 121 stolen cars was let go in just five hours, even though police found 20 sets of car keys on him. It’s outrageous.”
Delegates Nawrocki and Szeliga say they continue to call on the Moore administration to prioritize victims, public safety, and proven strategies to curb youth crime across Maryland.
Photo via Roca Inc.
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