Edward J. Dolan
Commissioner
Edward J. Dolan was appointed Commissioner for the Department of Youth Services (DYS) in May 2012 after serving as its Deputy Commissioner for 14 years. Commissioner Dolan began at DYS as the Director of Classification. During his tenure at DYS, Mr. Dolan’s leadership and commitment has been critical to shaping the direction of the Department to a focus on positive youth development. A strong advocate for implementing reform practices that reshape and strengthen the juvenile justice system, Commissioner Dolan has more than 30 years experience in criminal and juvenile justice issues and an extensive background in public administration, finance, social policy and urban planning.
Prior to joining DYS, Commissioner Dolan was Chief Operating Officer for Massachusetts Half Way Houses, Inc. He also previously managed two areas of the Division of Forensic Mental Health, supervised mental health clinicians and provided oversight to contracted forensic services in district, juvenile and superior court clinics for the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health.
In 1985, Commissioner Dolan served with the Massachusetts Parole Board as its Director of Research, Planning and Systems Development. In 1990, he was promoted to Executive Director - a leadership position he held for an additional five years. As a court planner in the Office of the Chief Administrative Justice of the Trial Court, he played an integral role in managing operations across seven trial court departments during the early days of court reform.
As a consultant for the National Institute of Corrections, Crime and Justice Foundation and various states and local jurisdictions, Commissioner Dolan frequently lends his expertise on juvenile justice, parole and adult and juvenile correctional issues. Mr. Dolan holds a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University and an undergraduate degree in Government from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Commissioner Dolan’s vision for the work of the Department of Youth Services is to promote unwavering pursuit of positive change in the youth in our care and custody. Through his vision, DYS is committed to creating and owning bold and effective strategies to impact the life trajectories for these youth, foster the improved quality of life for their families and support efforts that make our communities safer.
This information is provided by the Department of Youth Services.