A discussion on the landscape of the child welfare system in NJ and the roles played by various offices, including a judicial perspective; the goals of the system and the challenges it faces in achieving those goals – particularly family reunification. Moderated by Kathy Edin, William Church Osborn Professor of Sociology and Public Affairs and Director of the Center for Research on Child and Family Wellbeing (CRCFW).
Co-sponsored by CRCFW and the Joint Degree Program in Social Policy (JDP).
Panelists:
Wayne Forrest, retired Judge of the Superior Court, Family Division
Wayne J. Forrest is now retired from serving as a New Jersey Superior Court Judge and County Prosecutor. He served as a N.J. Superior Court Judge, in both the Essex County and Mercer County Vicinages from July 2012 until January 2023, primarily presiding over cases involving Child Abuse and Neglect, Domestic Violence, Termination of Parental Rights, and adoptions. During his tenure as a Superior Court Judge, he also served on the Children in Court (Child Abuse & Neglect) Committee of the Conference of Presiding Judges, the N.J. Children in Court Improvement Committee, the National and State Conference of Juvenile and Family Court Judges, and served as the President of the N.J. Conference of Juvenile and Family Court Judges from 2019 to 2022. Previously, after graduating from Seton Hall Law School, he became a N.J. Deputy Attorney General (Division of Criminal Justice) from 1984 until 1997, when the Governor appointed him to become the Somerset County Prosecutor, a position he held for more than two terms from 1997 to 2010. During his prosecutorial career, he handled numerous high-profile cases, some of which became the subject of documentaries, movies, and books, as well as the first New Jersey criminal trial aired on Court TV. He also attained certification by the N.J. Supreme Court as a Certified Criminal Trial Attorney. As an educator, he has taught for over 45 years, beginning while serving on active duty for 4 years as a U.S. Paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne Division and another 10 years in the U.S. Army Reserves. He has also been certified by the New Jersey State Police Training Commission and has taught at Police Academies throughout the State, including the Somerset, Middlesex, Hunterdon, and Warren Counties’ Regional Police Academy, which he oversaw during the years he served as the County Prosecutor. He taught as an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Criminal Investigations for over 20 years and served as a member of the New Jersey Association of Criminal Justice Educators. He was an Adjunct Professor at Seton Hall School of Law, and has lectured at Seton Hall University, Rutgers University, Centenary University, and New Jersey City University. As a Judge, he has taught at both the annual Judges Judicial College and the Child Abuse & Neglect Conferences. For years, he has volunteered to serve as a Mock Trial and Moot Court Judge for programs conducted by the State and County Bar associations and the Seton Hall Law School’s John J. Gibbons and Eugene Gressman Appellate Moot Court Competition, as well as the Law School’s Appellate Advocacy Moot Court arguments. During the time that he was teaching, he also authored and co-authored numerous articles and other professional works on the law, law enforcement, and education. He received his B.A. from Washington and Jefferson College, an M.A. from Webster University, and his J.D. from Seton Hall University School of Law. Following the recent enactment of the N.J. Law Enforcement Officers’ Licensing law, since March 2024, Judge Forrest, who is in his 50th year of public service, is currently serving as a State Police Training Commission Hearing Officer.
Jennifer Lochel, Assistant Attorney General, Division of Law
Assistant Attorney General, Jennifer A. Lochel, co-manages the Division of Children and Families (DCF) Practice group within the Division of Law at the Office of the Attorney General for the State of New Jersey. She has spent over twenty-years representing DCF as a trial attorney and in various other management roles. AAG Lochel has successfully represented the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCP&P) in multiple appellate arguments, including DCP&P v. J.B., 459 N.J. Super. 442 (2019) and DCP&P v. R.L.M., 236 N.J. 123 (2018) before the Supreme Court. Throughout her career, AAG Lochel gives back to her legal community by teaching trial advocacy and child welfare law. Prior to joining the Division of Law, AAG Lochel clerked for the Honorable Diane B. Cohen, P.J.F.P. AAG Lochel holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Delaware and a J.D. from Widener University School of Law.
Lynette Renté, Assistant Public Defender for the Office of Parental Representation
As Assistant Public Defender of the NJOPD’s Office of Parental Representation (OPR), Lynette Renté oversees the agency’s efforts to provide high-quality legal representation to parents and families involved in the family regulation system, with a focus on strengthening and reunifying families across the state. She manages a dynamic team of attorneys across eight offices, driving forward strategic initiatives that ensure parents receive the comprehensive, zealous advocacy they deserve.
Lynette’s professional journey with the NJOPD began in 2011 when she joined as Assistant Deputy Public Defender in OPR’s Northeast Region Office. There she was able to advocate for members of the community where she was raised and lived, Hudson County. During her time as a trial attorney, she represented parents in complex cases involving alleged abuse, neglect, and guardianship matters filed by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP). She conducted agency wide trainings as well as for the Children in Court Improvement Committee under the Administrative Office of the Courts.
In 2022, Lynette was promoted to Deputy Public Defender of OPR’s Northeast Region, where she managed the Hudson and Bergen regional offices and supervised a team of OPR and pool attorneys. That same year, she was named a Unification Day Hero by Legal Services of New Jersey for her work with a Hudson County family. She also served on the statewide Children in Court Improvement Committee under the Administrative Office of the Courts, focusing on improving legal processes for parents and children.
Lynette earned her J.D. from Rutgers Law School and her B.A. in political science and Spanish from Rutgers University. Her passion for advocating for parents was sparked during her judicial clerkship to the Honorable Robert A. Coogan, J.S.C., where she was exposed to the complexities of parental representation within the family regulation system.
Traci Telemaque, Assistant Public Defender for the Office of Law Guardian
Traci Telemaque is currently an Assistant Public Defender, a position she has held since 2017, when she assumed statewide supervision over the Office of Law Guardian (OLG). Before joining the NJOPD, Traci Telemaque had a successful career in women’s health care with the Long Beach Department of Health and Human Services in Long Beach, California. In 1998, she relocated to New Jersey to pursue her legal career and earned her J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law in Newark in 2001. After graduating, she clerked for the late Honorable David Waks in Passaic County and the Honorable William R. DeLorenzo, Jr., Bergen County. Traci began her work with the OLG in 2003 as a staff attorney, where she represented minors in child abuse and neglect litigation in Hudson County until 2011. She was then promoted to Managing Attorney of the Essex County OLG. Four years later, she was further promoted to Managing Attorney of the OLG Northern Region, which includes Bergen and Hudson counties. During her tenure with the OLG, Traci became a member of the OLG Training, Youth in Transition and Ethics Committees, and also a trained staff for the Hudson County CASA program.
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