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Board Member Information

Colorado Juvenile Parole Board

The Board is composed of nine members, including five citizen members and four state agency representatives. All board members are appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Colorado State Senate.

The four Board members representing state agencies, by statute, must represent the department of Education, Labor and Employment, Public Safety, and Human Services, which have expertise regarding the needs of both parolees and the community.

Of the five citizen members, one must be a resident of the Western slope of Colorado.

Board Members

Vacancy - Citizen Member

Department of Human Services Representative - Vacant

James A. Keown of Thornton has been with the Colorado Department of Labor for 18 years. He has a Masters in Public Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Michigan State University and attended the University of Detroit Law School. He was appointed to the Board in 2010.

Carmen Quinowski-Nelson, of Denver is a citizen member of the board. Since moving to Denver, 1992 Carmen has worked in a number of positions devoted to care of children from infants to young adults. From 1992 to 1995, she operated her own in-home daycare for infants and toddlers. In 1995 to 1997, she worked as a researcher and counselor for the University of Colorado Health & Sciences/Children’s Hospital’s “Home Visitation 2000” research project conducted in association with the Kempe Center that focused on pre- and post-natal health counseling to Denver area at-risk teen mothers. From 1997 to 2000, Carmen continued work with Children’s Hospital at its Pediatric Dental Clinic, serving as a dental and operating room assistant. In 2007, Carmen joined the Colorado Women’s Interfaith Group, where she currently serves as co-chair. The group is comprised on Women from a wide variety of theological and academic backgrounds, and is devoted to monthly discussions of interfaith religious topics from a women’s perspective. She was appointed to the Board in 2011.

Paula Ramaekers-Mattas of Grand Junction, Colorado, fills the Western Slope citizen position on the Juvenile Parole Board. She has her Master’s Degree with a Sociology emphasis from Regis University in Denver, as well as a Bachelor’s Degree with a Psychology emphasis from the University of Northern Colorado. Paula has worked for a local non-profit organization, Mesa County Partners, Inc., for 17 years, working with and managing programs for juvenile offenders. She has also participated on various boards in her community, including the Juvenile Community Review Board, the HB1451 Project for Mesa County and the Underage Drinking Task Force. She has also developed and maintains three programs, Victim Offender Mediation, Victim Empathy classes and Life Skills classes, all of which are now sentencing/referral options used by D.A. Diversion program, the Courts and the Division of Youth Corrections. She was appointed to the Board in 2011.

Michael R. Ramirez of Littleton, Colorado is a Senior Consultant at the Colorado Department of Education and is the department’s representative on the Juvenile Parole Board. He serves as the Sliver/Set Aside Grant Coordinator within the Exceptional Student Services Unit and is responsible to support professional development for Colorado Educators in the area of student behavior. Since 1978, Mr. Ramirez has been focused on assisting students requiring intensive support for emotional and behavioral issues, to achieve social competence. He was appointed to the Board in 2002.

Debbie Rose of Beulah, Colorado, is a citizen member on the board. She is the owner of the Beulah General Store and is currently on the Workforce Development Council. She was the past Director of the Pueblo School Board and participates in many community councils related to education for all ages. She was appointed to the Board in 2004. Ms. Rose is currently serving as Chairperson to the Board.

Walter R. “Dick” Schmidt of Lakewood, Colorado, a citizen member, is retired and has 32 years of experience in employment-related programs involving vocational counseling and job placement activities. He participated and implemented programs to enhance disadvantages youths’ job-seeking abilities and job retention skills and was administrator of Job Service Center offices for the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment. He was appointed to the Board in 2001. Mr. Schmidt is currently serving as Vice-Chairperson to the Board.

Meg Williams of Lakewood is the Manager of the Office of Adult and Juvenile Justice Assistance at the Division of Criminal Justice, Colorado Department of Public Safety. As such, she is the designated Juvenile Justice Specialist for the state and responsible for the management of many federal and state grant programs which seek to assist with and improve the adult criminal and juvenile justice systems. Meg has experience in the social services as well as adult and juvenile justice arenas in both Ohio and Colorado and understands the critical need for appropriate, timely responses to children, youth and families especially those involved in the juvenile justice system. She is a member of Colorado's Restorative Justice Coordinating Council, the Colorado Children and Youth Information Sharing Initiative amoung other cross disciplinary efforts and currently serves as the National Juvenile Justice Specialist for the Coalition for Juvenile Justice. She is a graduate of Kenyon College in Ohio with a Bachelor's Degree in Psychology and received a Masters in Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver.

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