Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs executive director Tim Tardibono resigned from his position late Friday afternoon in the wake of a staffing and resident crisis at the Central Oklahoma Juvenile Center in Tecumseh.
Hours after NonDoc published an article about the situation, Gov. Kevin Stitt announced he had named Sharon “Shel” Millington interim director of OJA, an agency she left this summer to become the chief clinical officer at the Department of Human Services.
“I am deeply grateful that Shel is willing to step in and provide steady, experienced leadership to the Office of Juvenile Affairs,” Stitt said in a press release. “Shel’s long track record of implementing proven behavioral health strategies and collaborating with community partners is exactly what OJA requires to ensure our most vulnerable youth are safe. Stability and safety for our staff and youth is our top priority, and Shel’s leadership will bring renewed focus and hope to OJA’s future.”
The Tecumseh facility has been the subject of repeated unrest in recent weeks, culminating in pandemonium last weekend that drew 911 calls from staff seeking police assistance. Tecumseh Police Chief J.R. Kidney, however, said his officers were denied entry to COJC in September and again last weekend. A Department of Corrections response team and other employees ultimately were called in to quell the chaos and fill positions vacated by injured staff members.
“There’s a high ratio of injuries for staff. I can’t give you an exact number. I have asked for that information but have not received it,” Dixie Fox-Jackson, co-executive director of the Oklahoma Public Employees Association, told NonDoc earlier Friday. “The staff are fearful for themselves and for the kids. Something needs to be done.”
While Stitt’s press release announcing Millington as interim OJA director did not mention Tardibono, it spelled the end of the line for the attorney the governor had placed in that role almost exactly one year prior. At the time, Stitt had praised Tardibono as “someone who will work tirelessly to provide young Oklahomans with opportunities to thrive.”
The chairwoman of OJA’s board, however, had expressed frustrations with Tardibono for months. In a long speech at the end of June’s meeting, Karen Youngblood said she was seeing “evidence that the high standards set by this board and the last three directors are facing challenges.”
Late Friday, she was thrilled by Stitt’s decision to change leaders at the agency.
“We are pleased to have Ms. Millington coming back in the lead role for OJA,” Youngblood said. “Her experience and knowledge of the agency will be a pleasant, stabilizing force for our staff and our youth.”
‘The business of OJA is youth development’
As reported earlier Friday, state lawmakers and several people with direct knowledge of turmoil at COJC disclosed a litany of issues facing the facility over at least the last six weeks.
With many employees sidelined with injuries following physical altercations at the generally well-regarded facility, some workers became subject to long hours, sometimes working 20-hour days. Kidney, the Tecumseh police chief, said one employee was so tired they fell asleep at the wheel while driving and caused a traffic accident. Kidney said the staffing issue and disruptions at the facility first came to his attention more than a month ago.
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“We get a call that it’s out of control out there and they need all the help they can get,” Kidney said of the Sept. 12 incident. “We respond numerous units out there, and when we get there they won’t let us in the gate. The superintendent out there (Darryl Fields) says everything is under control. He obviously has the appearance that he has been in a physical altercation himself. He’s breathing heavily, he’s sweating profusely, but (he says) everything’s under control, so they don’t let us in.”
As of Friday morning, Fox-Jackson said she was told COJC was housing 51 youthful offenders who have been adjudicated or deemed delinquent and placed in the custody of OJA.
Tardibono was appointed to lead OJA by Stitt in October 2024 after six years working as executive director of the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council. His official bio notes that his “first position” in government was at the Office of Juvenile Affairs about 25 years prior.
His departure comes just two days after The Oklahoman published a largely positive article about Tardibono’s time at OJA.
“I’ve come to the realization that the business of OJA is youth development,” Tardibono told the Oklahoman. “So when I think about our greatest need, as a state agency, I would say it’s the recruitment and retention of more employees, new employees who want to be a caring adult in some young person’s life.”
There are currently nine posted job openings at the Tecumseh facility, according to its website. All of the jobs are posted in Pottawattamie County, where the COJC facility is located. All but one have been posted within the last 21 days.
An OKC native, Tardibono graduated from Putnam City High School and attended Oklahoma Christian University. He attended Regent University in Virginia, earning a juris doctorate and a master’s degree in public policy.
While leading the Oklahoma County Criminal Justice Advisory Council — commonly referred to as CJAC — Tardibono oversaw a 19-member council that includes elected officials and civic leaders with the aim of improving the county’s criminal justice process, including reducing the county jail population.
Tardibono also served in former Gov. Frank Keating’s administration, assisting Keating’s Health and Human Services cabinet secretary, and as a counsel to former U.S. Sen. Tom Coburn.
According to Stitt’s press release, Millington “led the pioneering implementation of functional family therapy and dialectical behavior therapy across state juvenile programs, elevating Oklahoma’s care standards for custody youth.”
Millington is formally trained in a variety of therapy models and has been recognized nationally as a master trainer in cognitive behavioral interventions, according to the release.
