Serino to Appoint New Director for Office
of Probation and Community Corrections
Poughkeepsie — Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino is pleased to announce Kathy McQuade will be appointed to serve as the Director for the Office of Probation and Community Corrections following the retirement of longtime Director Mary Ellen Still. Ms. McQuade, who currently serves as Probation Supervisor, will begin serving as Director following confirmation by the Dutchess County Legislature in May.
County Executive Serino said, “With more than 30 years of experience in criminal justice and being highly respected throughout our community, Kathy McQuade is passionate about the safety and well-being of our entire community. With her collaborative leadership style, she will guide the Dutchess County Office of Probation and Community Correction toward continued success, building on the legacy our great team has established, and expanding community engagement and victim outreach while deftly navigating the ever-evolving criminal justice system.”
Ms. McQuade joined Dutchess County Government in 1997, beginning as a Probation Officer. She advanced through the department, serving in the Presentence Investigation unit, STOP DWI unit, as well as the Pretrial Service Unit where she served as the County Court liaison and was promoted to Senior Probation Officer for the Unit. In 2018, she was promoted to Probation Supervisor and in this role, Ms. McQuade has been responsible for coordinating probation officers’ daily coverage of county and local courts, as well as helping monitor the daily population census at the former Dutchess County Jail and the newly opened Justice and Transition Center.
Prior to her service with Dutchess County Government, she worked for Albany County Probation, where she began her career after receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from SUNY Albany in 1990.
As Dutchess County Probation and Community Corrections Director, Ms. McQuade will be responsible for promoting positive change in the lives of those under judicial supervision and helping ensure the safety and well-being of the community by improving the overall operation of the criminal justice system, reducing offender recidivism and serving victims of crime.
Dutchess County’s Office of Probation and Community Corrections is a model for state and national criminal justice agencies. The department promotes public safety through effective supervision of approximately 3,000 defendants and probationers placed on community supervision by the courts, through evidence-based probation and diversion programs. Among others, those programs include the successful interagency collaborative in-jail transition program known as RESTART (Re-Entry Stabilization Transition and Reintegration Track) in partnership with Project M.O.R.E. and Family Services, as well as RECHARGE (Re-Entry Community Housing and Resource Guided Empowerment) to provide justice-involved people with supportive housing and services in partnership with Project M.O.R.E. to increase participants’ success once they return to their community.
Ms. McQuade serves as Regional IV Director on the Board of New York State Association of Pretrial Service Agencies (NYAPSA). She is a member of the Victims Services subcommittee of the Dutchess County Criminal Justice Council. She is nationally certified as a Pretrial Service Professional, federally trained in the Drug Court Model, and have been involved in several New York State Pretrial Standards Workgroups.
“It is an honor to be asked by County Executive Serino to lead the amazing team of women and men who serve in the Office of Probation and Community Corrections. I am truly humbled by this opportunity. I look forward building on the innovative and evidence-based approaches championed by Mary Ellen Still that have made Dutchess County a recognized leader throughout the State of New York. We will continue the established legacy of quality service and support and we will work to expand our outreach and partnerships within our community.”
Ms. McQuade and her family reside in the Town of Poughkeepsie, where she is an avid supporter of Spackenkill High School’s Spartans athletic programs.
County Executive Serino will forward a resolution confirming Ms. McQuade’s appointment as Probation and Community Corrections Director for approval at the Dutchess County Legislature’s board meeting in May.
