On Tuesday October 25, 2016 Texas Juvenile Justice Department Executive Director David Reilly received the prestigious Amador R. Rodriguez Lifetime Achievement Award during the Juvenile Justice Association Of Texas’ (JJAT) Fall Conference in Corpus Christi.
The award is given annually to a juvenile justice professional who has demonstrated outstanding leadership in the juvenile justice field. Mr. Reilly was nominated by his peers in the juvenile justice field and vetted by a committee of juvenile justice professionals. This prestigious award is recognition of Mr. Reilly’s service to the youth in Texas. JJAT President Stephanie Fowler presented the award to Reilly during the awards luncheon. The Juvenile Justice Association of Texas is proud to include Reilly among the small number of previous recipients.
Reilly, who has served as TJJD’s executive director since 2014, previously served as the Chief Probation Officer for the Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department in San Antonio for 17 years. In that capacity, he oversaw a department that has 680 employees and operates three secure juvenile facilities, serving both pre-adjudication and post-adjudication youth. He has a combined total of 49 years’ experience in the delivery of children and youth services in Texas.
Before joining Bexar County in 1997, Mr. Reilly served 23 years with the state, with the last five years as the Director of Field Operations for Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services from 1992-1997. Prior to that, Reilly had served as Regional Director for Child Protective Services for 10 years in the San Antonio region and three years as Regional Director in the Austin region.
He began his career as a juvenile probation officer shortly after graduating from St. Mary’s University in San Antonio with a B.A. degree in Psychology. After two years as a juvenile probation officer, Reilly returned to graduate school at Our Lady of The Lake University (OLLU) and received his Master of Social Work degree in 1970. Reilly was selected as an Outstanding Alumni, OLLU in 1996. Reilly is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker.
Amador R. Rodriguez, who the award was named for, worked in the Cameron County juvenile department from 1971 until his death in 2000. During his time there, he created a juvenile boot camp and an alternative education program. He was elected as the first president of the Juvenile Justice Association of Texas in December of 1999. JJAT is the largest juvenile specific trade organization in Texas, boasting over 500 members representing all of the seven regions from across the state.