Teri Deal

With more than 20 years of direct service to children, families, and the courts that serve them, Teri Deal bridges research and practice to help courts build more effective systems that strengthen communities and improve outcomes for individuals and families.

She has guided dozens of courts across the country in implementing Upstream, NCSC's court-community collaboration framework focused on prevention. She also developed a framework that helps courts assess and build their readiness for implementing new projects, policies, and practices. 

Her most recent work is focused on the courts' response to adolescents and emerging adults with justice-system involvement, including leadership of our 2025 national convening that drew teams from 47 states and territories. 

Before joining NCSC, she spent a decade at the National Center for Juvenile Justice providing training on continuous quality improvement and evidence-based practices, directing state and federally funded projects, and helping courts collect and use data more effectively. 

She studied at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Virginia and earned her Ph.D. in community engagement at Point Park University.