Governor Tim Pawlenty today announced the appointment of Amanda Dionne, Amanda Heu, Chong Lo, and Antonio Tejeda, and the reappointment of the Honorable Michael Mayer and Brenda Pautsch to the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee (JJAC).

Dionne, of Crystal, is a student at Cooper High School in Crystal, where she is a member of the National Junior Honor Society, a tutor for at-risk youth, and a Link Crew leader.  She also mentors girls in the Little Earth of United Community in South Minneapolis through Young Women's Mentoring Program, a program of YouthCARE (Cultural Appreciation and Racial Equality).  Dionne replaces Chalip Chacon Bonilla as a youth member to complete a four-year term that expires on January 7, 2008.

Heu, of Lino Lakes, is a police officer with the St. Paul Police Department, currently assigned as a patrol officer on the city's east side.  She previously served as a community liaison officer for the department and has been a St. Paul Police officer since 2002.  Heu has also mentored at-risk high school students from St. Paul's west side community, and collaborated with the Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute in formulating community policing in the Hmong community.  Heu replaces Susan Carlson for a four-year term that expires on January 4, 2010.

Lo, of St. Could, is an assistant public defender in St. Cloud where he handles juvenile cases.  He previously served in the Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps as chief of civil law, chief of adverse actions and legal assistance, chief of claims/deputy chief of justice, and chief of operations/chief of magistrate court.  Lo replaces Reverend Devin Miller on the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee for a four-year term that expires on January 4, 2010.

Mayer, of Eagan, is a First Judicial District trial court judge, where he serves as one of the juvenile court judges.  Prior to his appointment to the bench by Governor Pawlenty in 2004, Mayer was an attorney and partner with the Eagan law firm of Grannis and Hauge.  He has been a member of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee since 1995, chaired the committee until his appointment to the bench, and currently serves as vice-chair.  Mayer is also midwest regional chair of the Coalition for Juvenile Justice in Washington, DC, and a member of the federal advisory committee for the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.  Mayer is reappointed to another four-year term that expires on January 4, 2010.

Pautsch, of Gaylord, is a juvenile and special programs supervisor with Blue Earth County Community Corrections in Mankato.  Her 19-year career in corrections includes having previously served as a juvenile probation agent.  She has participated in the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's "Partnering to Prevent Truancy" program, and its "Training for Juvenile Agency Training Coordinators" program.  Pautsch, who has been a member of the Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee since 2004, is appointed to a full four-year term that expires on January 4, 2010.

Tejeda, of Spicer, is an attorney with the Willmar law firm of Anderson, Larson, Hanson and Saunders.  His practice includes criminal prosecution as well as criminal defense law.  Bilingual in English and Spanish, Tejada handles many of the firm's non English-speaking clients.  He is also a Minnesota National Guard Judge Advocate General Officer.  Tejeda replaces Francisco Gonzalez to complete a four-year term that expires on January 1, 2007.

The Juvenile Justice Advisory Committee awards grants and carries out the state plan of the federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.  The committee consists of 18 members appointed by the Governor