The juvenile courtroom erupted into applause when new Chief Juvenile Officer Sierra Elliott took her oath of office Friday morning. She replaced Shonda Hill, who retired in February.
“Thank you once again for your support,” Elliott said after the swearing-in. “Together, I’m confident that we can make a positive impact on the lives of the youth that we serve and build a stronger more resilient community.”
Elliott has served the juvenile office for 14 years as a juvenile tracker, juvenile justice administrative assistant, deputy juvenile officer and chief deputy juvenile officer.
“She is not just taking on a role she will be leading a family of dedicated professionals who are committed to achieving excellence in juvenile justice,” explained Hill, a 30-plus year veteran of the Juvenile Office.
“I’ve worked with her closely since taking the bench in 2019, and she’s always been very professional, prepared and a pleasure to work with,”
Butler County Associate Judge Wade Pierce agreed.
When seeking Hill’s replacement, Presiding Judge Kacey Proctor had specific traits in mind: the new chief juvenile officer needed to work well with law enforcement and judges and be a professional, competent and compassionate person.
“I really wanted to make sure that we have somebody who recognized how delicate it is when you’re dealing with youth, and how drastically you can impact the entire trajectory of their life,” he said.
After run-ins with the law as a teen, Proctor said, “Had it not been for leaders... that had handled situations like mine with an amount of not only intelligence but compassion and reason, I would not be a judge today.”
The career comes with challenges.
“You think you’ve heard it all, but you never have,” Elliott noted.
However, she maintains a concrete goal of improving youth welfare. During Hill’s retirement celebration, Elliott said she aimed to bring in community perspectives and create more youth programs to foster life skills. She also plans to foster deeper collaboration with the community and the Juvenile Office’s partners.
“Annually, we receive around 600 referrals from our partnering agencies, and I am determined to leverage our collective resources to empower these youth with the skills they need for a more successful future,” she told attendees Friday.
This sounds doable to Deputy Juvenile Officer Ashley Hamilton, who believed Elliott’s strength will be “creating new partnerships and strengthening the partnerships we have.”
Added Hill, “I’m confident that she will bring fresh perspectives and strong leadership to guide the 36th Circuit Juvenile Office successfully into the future.”
Elliott thanked her family, especially her husband Brad, for their support of her.
Elliott is a 2009 graduate of Southeast Missouri State University, where she earned double bachelor’s degrees in criminal justice and art education. She lives in Poplar Bluff with her husband and their two children.
Pamela Stark will fill Elliott’s former role of deputy chief juvenile officer.