KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (Story courtesy of WVLT) – The Knox County Commission this month will review the picks for the East Tennessee Regional Juvenile Service Center Advisory Board. The seven board members will help oversee the Richard L. Bean Juvenile Detention Center after its previous administrator — Richard L. Bean himself — lost the gig.
The board will be seven people strong and made up of Knox County residents, employees and a commissioner. Knox County Mayor Glenn Jacobs, Juvenile Judge Tim Irwin and the commission’s chair have played a part in stacking the board, which will be approved or disapproved at May’s county commission meeting.
Each member-to-be has a background in some form of administration, medicine or children’s services. Their backgrounds are available on the county commission’s meeting agenda; here’s what each brings to the table.
Ashley Ellis
Ashley Ellis is a representative of the Knox County Health Department and was appointed by Jacobs to serve on the board. With an obvious medical background, Ellis currently serves as the department’s nursing director, a role she’s had since February 2025.
Prior to serving in the nursing space, Ellis worked as a division director for preventative health and a patient service medical lead as part of her years-long career at the health department.
A licensed Tennessee nurse, Ellis attended Tennessee Wesleyan College before getting a graduate degree from Lincoln Memorial University.
Adam Moncier
Adam Moncier is an attorney for Knox County’s juvenile court, making it no surprise he was appointed by Judge Irwin. His resume lists 16 years of child welfare experience, including handling more than 1,000 child welfare cases.
Based off that resume, Moncier has had plenty of experience in neglect and abuse cases, which often involve juvenile victims.
Moncier graduated from the Nashville School of Law in 2008. Prior to that, he attended the University of Tennessee, where he majored in psychology.
Katherine Ogle
Katherine Ogle, also appointed by Judge Irwin, has a similar background to Moncier, though does not work for the county. Instead, she has a private practice.
Her resume lists experience litigating family law cases and recognition from the Knoxville Bar Association for her contribution to DICTA Magazine “In the Best Interest of the Child.”
She also wrote a cover letter expressing interest in the job, available below.
Teresa Parker
Teresa Parker is a former social worker appointed by Judge Irwin. She worked for Knox County Schools starting in 1982 before retiring in 2021.
She’s also had experience working directly with the juvenile court, according to her resume, aiming to create strategies around student engagement and support.
Parker also wrote a cover letter, citing experience with at-risk youth.
Michael Smith
Michael Smith was appointed by Jacobs as a nominee for the board. His bio, found in the agenda, describes Smith as a dedicated small business owner.
Smith got his GED in 1996 after attending Central High School, the bio reads, and is the owner and operator of North Knox Siding and Windows.
April Snell
April Snell is a UT graduate with Precision Health. A certified family and psychiatric nurse, she also serves as an adjunct professor for UT’s nursing college.
Snell also spent five years (2012 through 2017) working for the Tennessee Department of Children Services as a regional administrator.
Snell also put forth a cover letter, also available below.
The Bean Center came under fire after Jacobs accused Bean of retaliating against two employees who sounded the alarm at the state level. The employees had concerns with how Bean was running his detention center, and a later study found more than 90 problems with how the center operated.
Since then, the county has begun operating the detention center, briefly flirting with the idea of putting it under the purview of the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
