RELEASED: September 3, 2009

By Leigh Ivey

DANVILLE, KY—Since his first year at Centre College, senior Scott Meltzer has been actively involved in service clubs and organizations. And his dedication to service has paid off in a major way: Tennessee Governor Phil Bredeson recently appointed him to the Tennessee Commission on Children and Youth.

The TCCY—an independent state agency whose mission is improving the quality of life for Tennessee children and families—works with various state agencies, juvenile courts, child advocacy groups and other organizations to improve services to children.

To meet their goals, the members of the TCCY track legislation and make recommendations to the Governor and Legislature on how to improve current policies. They also evaluate the delivery of services to children in state custody and to their families.

In addition, the TCCY administers the Federal Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, the Juvenile Accountability Block Grant, and other federal and state grant funds for juvenile justice programs.
Meltzer first learned about the position on the Commission during a summer internship with Volunteer Tennessee.

"Volunteer Tennessee is a 25-member bipartisan citizen board," he says, "which is appointed by the Governor to oversee AmeriCorps and service-learning programs and to advance volunteerism and citizen service in Tennessee."

Volunteerism and service have long been passions of Meltzer's. A sociology major from Franklin, Tenn., he currently serves as a Centre Bonner Scholar, resident director, member of the College Mental Health Board, participant in Big Brothers/Big Sisters and volunteer at Comprehensive Care After-School Children's Program.
Because he hopes to "pursue a non-profit or government career focused on child and family policy," he is thrilled with his new appointment.

"The Commission provides me with the opportunity to be connected with policy makers and professionals who have dedicated their lives to creating positive social change for children and families," he says.
Meltzer's appointment to the TCCY became active on Aug. 20, and he will travel to Nashville in early November for a Commission meeting.

"I'm looking forward to the opportunity to learn from professionals and policy-makers who I aspire to emulate in my post-Centre life," Meltzer says. "The TCCY will allow me to be engaged at the intersection between direct service and policy involving youth and families. The TCCY allows me to explore various career paths in being an agent of change for future generations."

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Founded in 1819, Centre College is ranked among the U.S. News top 50 national liberal arts colleges. Consumers Digest ranks Centre No. 1 in educational value among all U.S. liberal arts colleges. Centre alumni, known for their nation-leading loyalty in annual financial support, include two U.S. vice presidents and two Supreme Court justices. For more, visit http://www.centre.edu/web/elevatorspeech/

For news archives go to http://www.centre.edu/web/news/newsarchive.html.