Jeffrey named undergraduate commencement speaker

Ronn Jeffrey has spent all of his adult life helping young people become productive, law-abiding citizens. It began in 1971, a year before he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Sociology and Anthropology from Chadron State College

That summer he was the only employee of the Office of Juvenile Probation established by the Cheyenne Municipal Court to help troubled youths. In large part, due to its success, immediately upon his graduation the following May, Jeffrey was appointed the first director of the Office of Youth Alternatives in his hometown.

He was given the authority to establish programs that would assist young people whose lives were unsettled and lacking direction. In many cases, they had drawn the attention of law enforcement officers, but the goal was to find strategies so they would not become entrenched in the court system.  His efforts were so successful that he remained the Youth Alternatives director for 42 years until he retired in May 2014.

Even though he does not have a law degree, the mayor of Cheyenne, citing Jeffrey’s “many years of steering juveniles straight,” appointed him the Juvenile Court Judge for the Cheyenne Municipal Court in 2006. He continues in that capacity and has been recognized many times for service to his community and beyond.

Thousands of youths, often between 500 and 600 annually, and their families have benefited from Jeffrey’s life work. He believes in spending time with children, listening to them, caring about their concerns, sharing activities and providing positive role models to steer them along a path of personal accountability.

As director of Youth Alternatives, which employs several counselors, sociologists and case managers, Jeffrey sought the assistance of many community members and founded organizations to provide viable options and support. Some of them include a youth mentoring program called Special Friends, a youth crisis center known as Attention Homes, Inc. and the Rape Crisis Center. He also was the founder of the Wyoming Association of Marriage and Family Therapists shortly after he became licensed in that specialty, and helped organize the Laramie County Drug Council and Laramie County Juvenile Services Board.

Through the years, many organizations have asked him to share his experiences and wisdom with them. He has served on the Wyoming State Library Council, Labor Commission and Humanities Council and has been appointed to the Governor’s Crime and Juvenile Justice Advisory Committees, the African-American Wellness Project and the Community Action board.

In addition, he has presented before the President’s Commission of Juvenile Delinquency and the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Juvenile Justice. He also has been a consultant and spoken to many organizations that deal with juvenile issues and was the creator and co-host of a weekly television program called “Our Kids.”

Naturally, Jeffrey has received many commendations for his work, not only in Wyoming but from national organizations. Under his direction, Youth Alternatives received the 247^th Point of Light presented by former President George Bush.

He also has been presented the George Washington Honor Medal from the Freedom Foundation, the Thomas Jefferson Award from the American Institute for Public Service and the Phi Delta Kappa Award for Service to Education, among others.

While attending Chadron State, Jeffrey’s capabilities were apparent. In 1970, he placed first in oratory at forensics tournaments in Nebraska and Kansas and the following year shared third place in oratory among 133 speakers at the National Forensics Tournament. In between, he played center for the basketball team and ranks third on the Eagles’ career rebounding chart with 9.8 per game.

Jeffrey and his wife Marilyn have two daughters, Keeya and Kaylee.