SMETHPORT — McKean County Juvenile Probation Officer Honor Rounsville was recently named the Pennsylvania Juvenile Probation Officer of the Year.
The award was announced at the 2022 James E. Anderson Pennsylvania Conference on Juvenile Justice sponsored by The Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission, which is comprised of juvenile court judges from across the Commonwealth.
McKean County probation and court officials said Rounsville was deserving of the award. Chief Juvenile Probation Officer Teresa Wilcox said the county has dedicated and caring staff helping at-risk youth.
“Honor’s priority is working one-on-one with the youth on her caseload to improve their skill sets, which ultimately leads to those youth being better overall citizens as well as safer communities and fewer crime victims,” she said. “Her work ethic along with her contributions to the Pennsylvania Juvenile Justice System lend no surprise to those that work with her that she would be selected as the Pennsylvania Juvenile Probation Officer of the Year.”
The county’s judges echoed Wilcox’s praise, commending her and the county’s department itself.
President Judge John Pavlock said of Rounsville, “She is kind and caring, but no push over. She encourages the youth she supervises to reach their goals and recognizes their accomplishments when they do. She is an extraordinary juvenile probation officer and we are proud of her for receiving this award.”
McKean County Judge Christopher Hauser added his kudos, saying Rounsville is the fifth member of the department to receive recognition.
“I am proud of her and the department from which she comes,” Hauser said, adding that being selected from hundreds of officers for her work is an outstanding achievement. “I know it came as a surprise to her to be named Juvenile Probation Officer of the Year,” the judge continued, adding that she shouldn’t have been surprised. “Her work is exemplary. She is deserving of this award. It was my honor to see her receive it.”
Rounsville joined the McKean County Juvenile Probation Department in 2013. She began her tenure as an Intensive Juvenile Probation Officer followed by a School-Based Juvenile Probation Officer. In 2017, she was promoted to fulfill the role of a Placement Specialist Juvenile Probation Officer.
Rounsville earned two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Pittsburgh: A Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice and a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology. In addition, she participated in the Juvenile Court Judges’ Commission (JCJC) sponsored Graduate Education Program at Shippensburg University, earning her Master of Science in Administration of Juvenile Justice.
She serves the McKean County Juvenile Probation Department in the roles of motivational interviewing coach, case plan coordinator, effective practices in community supervision (epics) internal coach, victim and community awareness curriculum facilitator, and as a member of their quality assurance team. She is a certified statewide EPICS trainer and a member of the EPICS Steering Committee.
Rounsville has been a member of the American Legion Auxiliary for 43 years. She has held multiple chairpersonships for the Pennsylvania American Legion Auxiliary, with her favorite being the Keystone Girls State. She attended Keystone Girls State for 16 years, two of those years in the role of chairperson.
Additionally, Rounsville is a member of the 8 & 40 organization, Eastern Star since age 18, and a volunteer for youth sports. Beyond her extensive volunteer work, she enjoys spending time with her family, gardening, crafting, baking (and enjoying all the baked goodies). She resides in McKean County with her husband, Dennis and their children: Paige (19), Gavin (18), Greyson (6), and Haven (3).
