PALM BEACH COUNTY CRIMINAL JUSTICE COMMISSION
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING
CareerSource, 3400 Belvedere Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Monday, March 23, 2026 at 11:00 AM
MEETING MINUTES
Members Present:
Daniel Eisinger, Public Defender, 15th Judicial Circuit
Gregory Starling, Chief Probation Officer, Circuit 15, Florida Department of Juvenile Justice
Joel G. Flores, Palm Beach County Commissioner, District 3
Jorge Garrido, CJC Treasurer
Karen Hansen, CJC Secretary
Maria S. Antuña, CJC Vice Chair
Michael Coleman, President, Palm Beach County Association of Chiefs of Police
Michelle Suskauer, CJC Chair
Oswald Newbold, Reentry Coordinator, the Reentry Center of Riviera Beach
Rachel Docekal, Hanley Foundation, Past CJC Chair (ex-officio)
Vanessa Klein, Director of Reentry Services, The Lord's Place
Members Absent:
Mike Burke, PBC School District (ex-officio)
Glenn Kelley, Chief Judge, 15th Judicial Circuit
Guests Present:
David Kahn, Human Resources Director
Taruna Malhotra, Community Services Director & CJC Executive Director Candidate
CJC Staff Present:
Christopher Slydell, Criminal Justice Analyst
Dawn Caveness Davenport, Senior Criminal Justice Analyst
Gilbert Morales, Deputy Director of Public Safety Department
Katherine Hatos, Manager, Criminal Justice Systems
Margo Smith, Administrative Assistant III
Stephanie Moliere, Senior Criminal Justice Analyst
Tom Nadler, PBC Deputy County Administrator
I. Call to Order
- Chair Michelle Suskauer called the meeting to order.
II. Roll Call
· Margo Smith, CJC Staff completed roll call of the members and determined there was quorum.
III. Approval and/or corrections to the Agenda
· Maria Antuna made a motion to approve the agenda, seconded by Chief Coleman, and passed unanimously.
IV. Approval and/or Corrections to the March 12, 2026, Meeting Minutes
· Minutes were not attached to the packet as they are under legal review
V. Chair Comments - Executive Director Interview
Chair Michelle Suskauer explained to the members that there are two options for replacing the executive director: The first option is to conduct a national search (which previously took seven months), or the second option is hiring an internal candidate with existing qualifications.
The internal candidate, Taruna Malhotra, was introduced as the Deputy Director for Community Services, overseeing a department with a $125 million budget, 250 employees, 45 grants, and 125 community programs. She currently supervises approximately 10 people and oversees six county boards.
Commissioner Joel G. Flores made a motion to recommend Taruna Malhotra for the position, seconded by Dr. Rachel Docekal and approved unanimously.
Chief Coleman discussed the importance of the relationship the CJC has with the Polic Chiefs.
Public Defender Dan Eisinger expressed that he would like the vision for the CJC to come from the Board and not the Executive Director.
VI. Old Business
A. Annual Planning Meeting Outcomes
The members discussed proceeding with the recommended priorities from the annual planning meeting that included: Legislative priorities, Juvenile Justice, Courts Systems, and Behavioral/Mental health.
Jorge Garrido made a motion to proceed with the 4 priorities: seconded by Dr. Rachel Docekal; passed unanimously.
B. Changes for consideration to the CJC Task Forces
1. Integrating communications within the Community Engagement Task Force
2. The proposed Juvenile Justice Task Force integrating with Juvenile Justice Advisory Board
3. Creating a Justice Data Task Force that includes the CJC's Data Analyst position (once filled) compiling and gathering data.
4. Deleting the STRIDE Task Force
Dr. Rachel Docekal made a motion, seconded by Jorge Garrido and passed unanimously.
VII. New Business
Deputy Director Gilbert Morales announced the updates to the January 26, 2026, meeting action items and that are consolidated into the master action item list included in the agenda packet.
VIII. Adjournment – Meeting Adjourned
Next Meeting: Monday, April 27, 2026 at 11:00 AM
Career Source Board Room
3400 Belvedere Road
West Palm Beach, FL 33406