Janel Britton, Administrative Support Technician
701.222.3440 ext. 100
Janel began working at BTC in July 2002, prior to its opening.  She was previously employed at the Montana Dakota Utilities as a legal secretary, and for six and a half years she worked at the North Dakota Workforce Safety, formerly the Workers' Compensation Bureau, starting as a secretary in the steno pool and advancing to claims analyst.  She has a secretarial diploma and is currently working towards an Associate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice.  Janel has received training in Conflict Resolution, Cognitive Restructuring, among other required training for her position.  She was born and raised in Dickinson, lived in Bismarck for 17 years and moved to the small community of McClusky with her two children.

Laura French, Administrative Support Technician
701.222-3440 ext. 122
Laura joined the Bismarck Transition Center in October 2007. She previously worked as a credit manager and accounts receivable clerk in Denver, a bookkeeper for Burleigh County, and has held several part time jobs at the State Tax Department, Unisys, Aetna, and Laducer and Associates while raising her three children.  She earned an Associate's in Accounting from Rasmussen College, formerly Aaker's College in Bismarck, ND.  Born into a family of musicians, Laura plays the flute.  She enjoys spending time with her husband of 32 years and their grown children.

Amy Ruff, Licensed Addiction Counselor
701.222.3440 ext. 130
In her position with BTC since October 2004, Amy provides intensive outpatient and aftercare treatment.  She received her Bachelor's in Psychology from Jamestown College and her Master's in Business from Baker College.  Amy has also received special training in the AccuCare Program, is a certified presenter of the Life Skills Program and is a North Dakota State Licensed Addiction Counselor.  Prior to coming on board, she did Adolescent Addiction Counseling.

Marjean Schwehr, Licensed Addiction Counselor
701.222.3440 ext. 133
Marjean came on board in March 2006.  Prior to that, she was employed as a Case Manager at the Prairie Learning Center in Raleigh, ND, a private non-profit organization for male juvenile offenders with high risk behaviors, and later worked there as a Licensed Addiction Counselor.  She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Social Work and Addiction Counseling from the University of Mary in Bismarck, ND.  She trains the trainers in Cognitive Restructuring, and did Parenting Days at PLC for 3 years.  Marjean is very active in the community and has dedicated her time and energy to other organizations including AA and NA for over 11 years.  She was raised on a farm in rural North Dakota, born the eleventh child in a family of eighteen, she learned early on how to work as a team member.  She married, raised seven children, and has lived in Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota. 

Penny McLeod, Licensed Addiction Counselor
701.222-3440 ext.132
Penny was hired on June 29, 2006.  She previously worked for BTC at the North Dakota State Penitentiary doing assessments of inmates.  Prior to this, she worked for three years as a Substance Abuse Counselor Aide in Orem, Utah, where she lived for 19 years, doing Case Management in an intense outpatient treatment program. She also worked with Dual Diagnosis in Utah.  Penny worked with a program to teach correctional and police officers of Utah to identify co-existing mental health and substance abuse problems and to learn to de-escalate high risk situations.  She graduated from the University of Mary with a Bachelor Degree in Behavioral Science. She has finished her training as an Addiction Counselor and was hired as a full-time Addiction Counselor Intern at BTC.

Jessica Messmer, Work Release Coordinator
701.222.3440 ext. 126
With BTC since July 2002, Jessica holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Family Services, and is currently working toward another Bachelor's to be licensed in Social Work and a Master's in Psychology.  She previously worked for eight years as the Director of First Steps Learning Center.  Jessica has also worked in juvenile services at the police department and has been a part-time vocational rehabilitation case manager for a private company.  Additionally, she has worked part-time completing safety exchanges/visitation between court ordered parental to non-custodial parents for the Abused Adult Resource Center.  Jessica has completed a wealth of special training that includes: LSI-R, Emergency Management, Cognitive Restructuring Facilitator, Stress Management, Time Management, Conflict Resolution, Sexual Harassment, Anger Management Facilitator, and Domestic Violence Advocate.

Mary Adams, Case Manager
701.222.3440 ext. 107
Mary has been with BTC since July 2002.  She previously worked with emotionally disturbed children at the high school level for two years.  Prior to that, Mary was employed with the North Dakota Department of Corrections for twelve years.  She holds a Bachelor of  Science degree in Criminal Justice Studies with a minor in Psychology from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks, North Dakota.  Born and raised in Bismarck, Mary comes from a family where five of six siblings have been involved in law enforcement or corrections careers.  She is the mother of two boys and is an enthusiastic hockey mom. 

Jeremy Kirby, Case Manager
701.222.3440 ext.108
Jeremy has been with BTC since July 2002.  He was previously employed with a comprehensive sanctions center and with a transitional home.  Jeremy has an Associate's degree from the University of North Dakota.  He was recently trained in Cleveland, Ohio, in a new program called Re-Entry now offered through BTC.  

Joann Jesser, Case Manager
701.222.3440  ext. 129
Joann started with Bismarck Transition Center in February 2003.  Prior to coming on board at BTC, she worked with the Charles Hall Youth Services and the BNC National Bank.  Joann earned her Bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice with a minor in Psychology from Minot State University in Minot, ND.  She has received special training in CPR, First Aid, Fire Extinguisher Safety, Cognitive Restructuring Facilitator Training, and LSI-R.  Joann was raised and educated in Linton, ND.  During her free time, she enjoys riding dirt bikes, camping, and traveling with her husband.

Marcy Olson, Case Manager
701.222.3440  ext. 125
Marcy joined BTC in January 2006.  She previously worked as a Correctional Officer at the North Dakota State Prison.  She earned an Associate's degree in Criminal Justice from Bismarck State College and a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Minot State University in Minot, ND.  Marcy has received special training in COG, ASI, LSI-R, Anger Management, and CO Basic.  She was born in Newport, WA, and moved to Ray, ND where she was raised and educated.

Ronn Mead, Case Manager
701.222.3440 ext. 106
Ronn was hired on October 18, 2002.  Prior to that, he worked for a hardware store in Bismarck for over two years.  Ronn earned an AAS in Management and an AA from Bismarck State College, a Bachelors in University Studies and a Bachelors in Applied Science in Technology with a minor in Psychology, both from Dickinson State University.

Cassandra Smith, Case Manager
701.222.3440 ext. 131
Cassie began working as a Resident Assistant at the Bismarck Transition Center in May 2005. She was promoted to Shift Leader and then Counselor Technician  prior to her most recent promotion as the Assessment Center Case Manager.  She attended the University of Mary in Bismarck on a softball scholarship and achieved a Bachelor's in University Studies with an emphasis in Behavioral Science.   

Dave Monroe, Chief of Security
701.222.3440 3xt. 111
Dave began his employment with BTC in August 2002 and was promoted to his current position on July 1, 2005. He was previously an English teacher at Century High School in Bismarck. He received degrees in Farm & Ranch Management from Bismarck State College and English/Secondary Education from the University of Mary.