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Deputy director of EOCC receives Dinitz Award

From staff reports

WINTERSVILLE — Tracy Walenciej, deputy director of the Eastern Ohio Correction Center, has been selected as the 2018 recipient of the Dr. Simon Dinitz Award by the Ohio Justice Alliance for Community Corrections.

The Ohio Justice Alliance for Community Corrections is an organization dedicated to improving adult and juvenile community sanctions as an alternative to prison. The Dr. Simon Dinitz award is given annually to a community correctional practitioner who has made contributions to the improvement of community corrections in Ohio.

Walenciej was named deputy director of the Eastern Ohio Correction Center in 2014.

She started with EOCC as its program administrator in 2006. She, like Dr. Dinitz, has dedicated her career to helping other, according to officials. After graduating from Ball State University, she went to work as a child care worker with Jefferson County Behavioral Health. While working full time, she obtained her master’s of social work degree from the University of Pittsburgh.

She spent 10 years as an adjunct professor with Franciscan University of Steubenville. She is certified as a “thinking for a change” trainer and has taught classes at the ODRC Training Academy and hosted training for numerous county probation departments. She has provided learning opportunities for undergraduate and graduate level students by overseeing interns from several area universities.

In 2014 she was accepted into and completed the 10-month Executive Excellence course at the National Institute of Corrections in Colorado.

Walenciej was nominated for the honor by Eugene Gallo, EOCC executive director.

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