| Judge Joy Malek Oldfield,
Summit County Common Pleas Court
Judge Joy Malek Oldfield
was elected to the General Division of the
Summit County Common Pleas Court
in November 2016. She was immediately selected to serve as the Presiding Judge of the Felony Drug Court, the Turning Point Program. Prior to service on the Common Pleas Court, Judge Oldfield served on the Akron Municipal Court from 2011 – 2016. During her time there, Judge Oldfield’s colleagues elected her to serve as the Administrative/Presiding Judge from 2014-2016; and, the Presiding Judge of the Akron Municipal Drug Court, now known as the Akron Municipal Recovery Court, from 2013-2016.
Judge Oldfield has worked tirelessly to impact and educate individuals on the beauty of recovery. As Presiding Judge of the Akron Municipal Drug Court, Judge Oldfield changed the name of the program to “Recovery Court,” to reduce the stigma to those participating in the program. She and her Turning Point predecessor, Judge Tom Teodosio, collaborated with the Akron Area YMCA to found the Y-STRONG program, which provides complimentary YMCA memberships to participants of Turning Point and Recovery Court who have maintained six months of sobriety and are exhibiting positive lifestyle changes. The program was designed to help individuals improve their health, reduce stress, increase their self-confidence and sense of accomplishment – all to assist in better quality, long-term sobriety. Judge Oldfield founded Faith in Recovery – a program designed to provide interested participants a spiritual connection along their recovery journey. And, she worked with her current Turning Point co-Presiding Judge and probation staff to provide participants in the Turning Point Program with Summit County’s first specialized docket therapy dog, “Tank.” Tank is now available to help participants relax, reduce their level of stress and help them feel more comfortable in the Court setting. Through these initiatives and more, Judge Oldfield continues to try and meet all needs – physical, mental, social, emotional, spiritual – for those suffering from the disease of addiction.
Judge Oldfield works to educate others in the field of recovery – locally, state-wide and on the national level. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) invited Judge Oldfield to participate in a national expert panel to develop guidance to the field for implementing Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) for individuals with addiction in the criminal justice system. Judge Oldfield also presented “Trauma in Specialty Court Settings” for SAMHSA’s National Center for Trauma-Informed Care and Alternatives to Restraint and Seclusion and GAINS Center. The session was part of a five-part series and provided information on how treatment courts can provide a trauma-informed approach to support the recovery of their participants.
Recognized in the recovery community, for the last three years, Judge Oldfield served as the honorary chair for Community Health Center’s “Break the Cycle of Addiction” luncheon; and, in 2018 served as the honorary starter for the Hope United first 5K Race – Run for Recovery. In 2017, Freedom House for Women (a local women’s recovery home) honored Judge Oldfield with the Courage to Change award for her tireless efforts in the recovery community. And, in 2018 the County of Summit Intercession on Dependency and East Market Street Church of God honored her with the Road to Recovery award, for paving a road to recovery within the community.
An original member of the Summit County Opiate Task Force, and one of only a handful of local judges who is Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) certified, Judge Oldfield serves on the United Way Addiction Leadership Council and continues to educate community groups on the topic of recovery in the criminal justice system. She also serves as a Trustee of the Ohio Common Pleas Judges Association.
Tangier Restaurant
532 W. Market
Akron 44303
Click here to email your reservation request.
or
Click here to make a reservation through Eventbrite.
You may pay the $20 fee at the door or mail your check
to the First Friday Club offices 795 Russell Ave, Akron, OH 44308
Reservations due Monday, September 30, 2019
Doors open and buffet luncheon begins at 11:00 am.
The speaker begins at noon and ends at 1:00 pm. |
