Maryland DJS Secretary Tolentino on her priorities

By Sheilah Kast,

Published September 17, 2025 at 2:56 PM EDT

Betsy Fox Tolentino runs Maryland's Department of Juvenile Services. Photo: Joe Andrucyk

Betsy Fox Tolentino calls her new gig -- heading Maryland’s Department of Juvenile Services -- her dream job. She was named acting secretary in early June after Gov. Moore decided her predecessor, Vincent Schiraldi, wasn’t making progress fast enough. Fox Tolentino already had worked 11 years in leadership roles at DJS, before leaving three years ago to manage juvenile-justice initiatives at the Roca Impact Institute. What is she changing at DJS? What are her priorities?

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Sheilah Kast

Sheilah Kast is the host of On The Record, Monday-Friday, 9:30-10:00 am.

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Melissa Gerr

Melissa Gerr is a Senior Producer for On the Record. She started in public media at Twin Cities Public Television in St. Paul, Minn., where she is from, and then worked as a field producer for Oregon Public Broadcasting in Portland. She made the jump to audio-lover in Baltimore as a digital media editor at Mid-Atlantic Media and Laureate Education, Inc. and as a field producer for "Out of the Blocks." Her beat is typically the off-beat with an emphasis on science, culture and things that make you say, 'Wait, what?'

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