In 1974, while most 21-year-olds were focusing on their final years of college, Glenn was busy organizing students and community members in Buckhannon, West Virginia. His goal was radical for the time: to prove that at-risk youth didn’t need bars; they needed a home. He founded The New Dawn Youth Center, West Virginia’s very first community-based group home. This early success catapulted him into leadership, and by the age of 22, he was elected President of the West Virginia Child Care Association to find ways to begin similar programs.
Glenn’s early hands-on experience was soon bolstered by rigorous academic training. At Cornell University, while earning his Master of Professional Studies in Human Development and Family Studies, he worked on the front lines for the New York State Division of Youth. This period sharpened his understanding of the systemic challenges facing families, a perspective he brought with him to North Carolina in 1981.
After years of leadership at Lutheran Family Services and founding The Family Connection—which became one of Charlotte’s largest private counseling practices—Glenn felt a calling to return to the roots of direct community service. He realized that to truly impact the cycle of incarceration, he had to go where the need was greatest.
In 1997, Glenn founded Life Connections and began the vital work of teaching life skills to incarcerated men at the Mecklenburg County Jail. His expertise in Applied Perceptual Control Theory—the idea that behavior is a means of managing internal perceptions—soon garnered international attention.
As a Senior Faculty member for the International Association for Applied Control Theory (IAACT), Glenn’s classroom expanded from the local jail to the global stage. He has traveled across the United States, Canada, Mexico, Australia, and China, teaching educators and practitioners how to foster accountability through restorative practices rather than punishment.
