January will be a busy month for Kevin Gruenwald.
After spending the past 21 years as a deputy juvenile officer for the 32nd Circuit Court in Perryville, he will be heading south to take over as the 32nd Circuit’s new chief juvenile officer after being appointed to the position by Presiding Judge Ben Lewis last month.
Gruenwald’s appointment will be effective Jan. 1.
“It’s quite something,” Gruenwald said. “It’s the first time that I’ve ever been appointed to a position by a judge. I’ve other supervisory positions, even back in college, but this is something new. It’s on a different level now.”
In his position as deputy juvenile officer in Perry County, Gruenwald has worked closely with law enforcement officials, Missouri Children’s Division, Court staff as well as many other supportive agencies and citizens while being on call 24 hours a day.
“I’m still doing Perry County DJO stuff right now and I will be into January until someone is hired and somewhat trained,” Gruenwald said, “so I’ll be splitting my time, fulfilling the roles of the Perry County DJO and the management down at the Cape Girardeau office.”
The 32nd Circuit serves Cape Girardeau, Perry and Bollinger County.
In his role as chief juvenile officer, Gruenwald will be vested with the statutory authority of a juvenile court officer to take charge of children who come within the jurisdiction of the juvenile court in all three counties.
He will also be responsible for the overall operation and administration of the juvenile office, including administrative activities such as caseload management and distribution, administering staff disciplinary procedures, conducting performance evaluations, and acting as the chief public relations officer for the juvenile office.
“I’m excited,” Gruenwald said. “I’m overly enthused about the new adventure and the challenges that come with the position and just doing something new. I loved being the DJO for Perry County — I like serving my home community — but it was just time for something different. I like new challenges, and that’s what this is going to be. I’m very excited about it, like I said, and maybe just a little bit nervous.”
