DCJ Director Denise Peña
Denise Peña is the Director of the Department of Community Justice. She has over 25 years experience working in the criminal justice field providing leadership for the wide range of services to clients, their families and crime victims. Previous to being appointed DCJ Director in May 2024, Denise served for over 2 years as DCJ Deputy Director.
As deputy director, Peña supported the department’s Research and Planning Team, contracting, budgeting, facilities and other department-wide efforts. Peña previously served as a senior manager in the department’s Adult Services Division. She also worked as a community justice manager and served as a lead parole and probation officer and trainer. Before coming to the Department of Community Justice, she worked as a victims advocate in the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office.
In her role as a Senior Manager with ASD, she oversaw the Women and Family services unit, the Domestic Violence Unit, East Record/ Administration, Programs Unit, East Generic and Gang/AAP. In addition to managing a large diverse workforce, she was also involved in development and implementation of the Parole Officer Training (PTO) training program, hiring of new Probation/Parole officers, developing/managing budgets; managing contracts; leading quality management and change management; consulting other departments and outside agencies.
As a member of OACCD (Oregon Association of Community Corrections Directors), she was the liaison for FVSN (Family Violence Supervision Network) for 8 years as well as part of the legislative subcommittee.
While serving as a victims advocate, Denise was the recipient of the Voices for Justice Award by the National Crime Victim Law Institute (NCVLI) and the Joe Kegans Award for Victim Services in Probation and Parole from the American Probation and Parole Association. In addition, she was a Parole and Probation Officer (PPO) in the DV Unit for nearly 9 years, and during that time was also a Lead PPO, Survival Skills instructor and EPICS Trainer.
Denise holds a B.A. in Liberal Studies.
Deputy Director Jay Scroggin
Jay Scroggin is the Deputy Director for Multnomah County's Department of Community Justice. Jay began his career in community corrections as a Parole-Probation Officer (PPO). He worked in Deschutes, Jefferson, and Umatilla counties, before becoming a criminal justice manager in Clackamas County. Jay served as the Executive Director of the Oregon State Parole Board before coming to Multnomah County. As a Senior Manager with the Adult Services Division, Jay's expertise guided DCJ's Domestic Violence, Sex Offense, Gang, Intake, Reduced Supervision, and Pretrial Services teams. Jay is a native Oregonian, and enjoys spending his free time with family.
Juvenile Services Director Kyla Armstrong-Romero
Dr. Kyla Armstrong-Romero is the Juvenile Services Director for the Department of Community Justice, focused on ensuring that the decisions and programs are rooted in the community it serves. A native of Chicago, Illinois, Kyla’s trajectory toward a career in public service stemmed from childhood adversity. Kyla earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with a minor in Sociology, a Master of Science degree in Criminology and Ph.D. in Human Services with an emphasis on Public Service Leadership. Prior to joining DCJ as the Juvenile Services Division Director in December 2022, Kyla worked for the Colorado Department of Human Services and served a four-year elected term as the President of the Aurora Public Schools Board of Education. Kyla also serves as an assistant professor teaching a myriad of courses in the Criminal Justice Department of the Metropolitan State University of Denver. In her spare time, she enjoys reading and spending quality time with family.
