For Immediate Release  September 17, 2007 

                                 
Contact: Corey Welford/Meredith Lerner 617-679-6522

Daniels Named Executive Director Of Middlesex Partnerships For Youth
Lifetime Educator And Former Assistant Superintendent Of Newton Public Schools To Head Non-Profit Partner Of MDAO Devoted To School-Based Child Protection Efforts

CAMBRIDGE – Middlesex District Attorney Gerry Leone informed the public today that Margie Daniels, a lifetime educator and former Assistant Superintendent of Newton Public Schools, has been named as the new Executive Director of Middlesex Partnerships For Youth (MPY).

Daniels, of Boston, has worked as an educator in the public school system for the past 36 years with a particular focus on special education. She was selected by the MPY Board of Directors and Leone after a months-long search and selection process, and began serving as Director in September. Also named as MPY Deputy Director was Brian Cavanaugh, a former special education teacher in the City of Newton and a graduate of the Harvard School of Education.

“Margie Daniels combines a passion for making a positive difference in the lives of young people with a high level of direct experience working in schools to keep children safe,” District Attorney Leone said. “That experience will be invaluable as MPY partners with local school districts, both at the high school and middle school levels, to enhance their efforts on issues such as school safety, substance abuse prevention, and internet safety.”

“I’m honored to have been chosen by the board of directors and District Attorney Leone to head an organization with such an important mission,” Daniels said. “Our students, parents, and schools are facing ever-evolving youth safety challenges, and I am excited to build on the partnerships with our schools to provide them with the resources they need to protect the children in their communities.”

MPY is a non-profit partner of the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office first established in 1989 as Project Alliance – a school based intervention and prevention program. Its mission is to provide in-service workshops and training seminars for educators, students, parents, law enforcement, and social service providers to help foster an atmosphere of respect and safety for Middlesex youth. MPY has provided hundreds of trainings to help prevent youth violence, substance abuse, child abuse, hate crimes and bullying in more than 60 school districts in Middlesex County.

This year, MPY will seek to expand many of its in-service trainings and seminars more comprehensively into the middle schools. Leone and MPY are also scheduled to host a county-wide school safety conference on October 24.

Daniels has worked in public education for 36 years, most recently serving as Assistant Superintendent of Newton Public Schools. In that capacity, she headed up the Citywide Crisis Team, Community Based Justice Program and supervised all mental health staff.  She also received Homeland Security Training in threat assessment, NIMS and ICS Training and was the program coordinator for a large competitive federal grant in Emergency Response Crisis Management.  In conjunction with this, she attended a national conference on school safety in Washington DC, getting briefed on the latest information on pandemic preparation, assisting special populations in emergency situations, teen substance abuse issues, and internet safety. Daniels is a graduate of Boston University, where she majored in clinical casework, and received a Masters of Education from Tufts University, where she majored in Child Study.

Cavanaugh brings unique experience to his position, previously serving as a special education teacher in the City of Newton, where he worked to create Behavior Intervention Plans (BIPs) and Individual Education Plans (IEPs) for students.  In that position he also collaborated with outside agencies, parents, administrators and four local middle schools to coach staff and develop plans for students’ reentry into public school or to determine appropriate placement for students.  Cavanaugh is a graduate of the Harvard Graduate School of Education where he received a Masters of Education in Risk and Prevention.  He also received a degree from the University of Maine at Farmington in Emotional Disturbance and Special Education. 

Since taking office as District Attorney, Leone has placed a priority on building and enhancing the office’s school safety and child protection programs. Leone has assigned all District Court Assistant District Attorneys to participate in school-based programs – directing them to personally take part in the Community-Based Justice (CBJ) and school-based intervention and prevention programs in all 54 Middlesex cities and towns. With their direct involvement, those ADAs form a more direct knowledge of the communities they serve and develop a consistency of case assignments that work through the juvenile and trial courts. This spring, Leone also hosted a school safety conference attended by more than 230 educators, public safety officers and community leaders that focused on the importance of communication as the foundation of all school safety efforts.

This month, Leone announced the creation of the Cyber Protection Program, the office’s first unit of prosecutors and investigators specifically focused on the protection of children and other citizens from the predatory dangers of the Internet and other cyber crimes.

###