Teri Deal joined the National Center for State Courts as a Principal Court Management Consultant after several years of experience working both in juvenile and family court research settings and in direct service to system-involved youth and families. Prior to joining NCSC, Ms. Deal spent nearly a decade as a research at the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ), the research arm of the National Council for Juvenile and Family Court Judges. Her work there primarily focused on supporting juvenile justice systems, courts, agencies and programs to collect and use data. She has provided training and technical assistance both on-site and online to juvenile justice stakeholders on incorporating continuous quality improvement into their practices, implementing evidence-based practices, and analyzing and reporting data. There, she directed the Juvenile Justice Model Data Project funded by the federal Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention which provided guidance to the field on fundamental measures of juvenile justice. She has also been active in addressing the intersection of schools and the justice system and led a multi-state study to advance measures of subsequent offending.
Prior to joining NCJJ, Ms. Deal was the Education Coordinator for a non-profit that provided prevention and intervention services to girls involved in the juvenile justice and/or child welfare systems. There, she designed and implemented an education and workforce development program, including the development and facilitation of curricula and coordination of educational opportunities across systems. Ms. Deal studied University of Pittsburgh and earned a graduate degree from the University of Virginia’s Curry School of Education in 2005. She is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in Community Engagement at Point Park University. She is also an adjunct instructor at Carlow University teaching Research Methods, Deviant Behavior, and Introduction to Juvenile Justice.