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7:15am EDT
7:30am EDT
8:00am EDT
9:00am EDT
Defending the Frontlines: Wellbeing and Performance for Public Justice Professionals
Wednesday July 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Speakers 
Owner, The Empowerment Agency
With over 15 years of expertise in clinical practice, consulting, and transformative leadership, Reinette has dedicated her career to empowering individuals, teams, and organizations to achieve meaningful growth and sustained well-being.
The Empowerment Agency was founded on the idea that we can create innovative strategies and solutions to assist individuals and corporations in maximizing their purpose, performance, and productivity.Reinette graduated from Georgia State University with a Bachelors of Psychology Degree...
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9:00am EDT
Dignity as Strategy: Humanizing Clients in a Dehumanizing System
Wednesday July 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Speakers 
Senior Assistant Public Defender, Western Judicial Circuit Public Defender Office
Imani is from Pennsylvania but has called Georgia home for the past 14 years. She obtained her undergraduate degree from West Virginia University and moved to Georgia to attend UGA Law. Imani graduated from UGA Law in 2015 and has been practicing criminal defense ever since. As a...
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9:00am EDT
Attacking VOPs
Wednesday July 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Speakers ZB
Zach Bowman is a dedicated criminal defense attorney with a strong academic and trial advocacy background. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in History from University of South Florida, where he developed a deep appreciation for the legal, political, and historical forces that shape...
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9:00am EDT
Georgia Pardons & Paroles: Recent Updates and Practice Impacts
Wednesday July 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Speakers LC
Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles
Lisa D. Copeland is a 1993 graduate of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with a BA in
Criminal Justice. She earned her Master's in Public Safety Administration in 2025 from
Columbus State University. She began her career in the criminal justice system with the Nevada
Division of...
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Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles
Jacques is a graduate of Northern Illinois University where he earned his Bachelor’s degree in
Criminology. His career with the Parole Board began as a Parole Officer in the Griffin Parole Office. He
served as a Senior Parole Officer and Specialized Parole Officer where he superv...
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As Director of the Pre-Release Clemency Considerations Division, Crystal L. Moon directs the processes for off ender case preparation and delivering cases to the Board to make informed, scientifi c, data-driven decision-making and ensure all Board decisions are properly implemented...
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9:00am EDT
The Playbook for Winning a Gang Case
Wednesday July 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Speakers 
Roberto “Shawn” Hoover R. Shawn Hoover is the Senior Manager of the Georgia Public Defender Council’s Specialized Unit. Before joining the Specialized Unit he was a trial attorney with the Georgia Capital Defender and was the Southwest Georgia Conflict Defender for the Council...
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9:00am EDT
The Playbook for Winning a Gang Case (BROADCAST)
Wednesday July 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Speakers
Roberto “Shawn” Hoover R. Shawn Hoover is the Senior Manager of the Georgia Public Defender Council’s Specialized Unit. Before joining the Specialized Unit he was a trial attorney with the Georgia Capital Defender and was the Southwest Georgia Conflict Defender for the Council...
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9:00am EDT
Competency Proceedings/Trials in Capital Cases
Wednesday July 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Speakers NS
Director, Ga Capital Defender
Nathanial Studelska is the director of the Georgia Capital Defender in Atlanta, GA. His entire career has been spent working in public defense and he has been practicing death penalty defense since 2015. He received his undergraduate degree from Georgia College & State University...
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9:00am EDT
Chaos to Clarity: Managing Discovery Without Losing Your Mind
Wednesday July 22, 2026 9:00am - 10:00am EDT
Speakers 
Criminal Investigator, Georgia Public Defender Standards Council
Catherine H. Vachon is a Senior Fact Investigator with the Georgia Capital Defender,
Southeast Georgia Regional Office, where she has served since 2008. She has investigated
numerous complex homicide and death penalty cases, contributing to more than ten
capital cases that procee...
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10:00am EDT
BREAK
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:00am - 10:15am EDT
10:15am EDT
Order in the Court (Files): SharePoint for Case and Team Management
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Speakers VP
Ginny Purdee studied pre-law at Georgia College & State University and moved to Savannah in 2014 to attend Savannah Law School. At the end of her 1L year, she joined the Chatham County Public Defender’s Office as an intern and fell in love with public defense.
Ginny has been an Assistant Public Defender since 2019 and now practices in the Atlantic Judicial Circuit (mainly in Hinesville). She believes that the most fundamentally important aspect of criminal defense is not just zealously advocating for her clients, but doing so in a way that...
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Joshua T. Brockington serves as the Circuit Public Defender for the Atlantic Judicial Circuit. After earning his Juris Doctorate from Florida Coastal School of Law in 2010, he began his career in 2011 as an Assistant Public Defender within the same circuit. Following a period as...
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10:15am EDT
Taking JCATS to the Next Level: Practical Skills for Experienced Users
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Speakers SK
Sean Kean is a Technical Account Manager for Canyon Solutions, Inc., the makers of Jcats. Sean graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology in 2000 from Tennessee Wesleyan University, and his professional career began in courts. Sean worked as a Court Administrator for Murray...
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10:15am EDT
10:15am EDT
10:15am EDT
Drug Dogs & Prolonged Stops: Who let the dogs out?
Wednesday July 22, 2026 10:15am - 11:15am EDT
Speakers 
Senior Attorney, Brunswick Judicial Circuit
My State of mind: “Life is hard, misery is optional.”My Attitude: “I Love my job!” My Advice: “If you don’t love your job, get out now while you’re still young. This job will never inspire you to keep fighting if you don’t love it!” Working in the public defenders...
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10:15am EDT
10:15am EDT
10:15am EDT
11:15am EDT
BREAK
Wednesday July 22, 2026 11:15am - 11:25am EDT
11:25am EDT
11:25am EDT
Rapid Response Teams: Deploying Resources to Circuits in Need
Wednesday July 22, 2026 11:25am - 12:25pm EDT
Speakers 
Director of Special Projects/ Rapid Response and Client Services/Managing Attorney/ Agency Recruiter, Georgia Public Defender Council (Atlanta, Ga,)
My educational background prepared me for a multifaceted legal career. After earning my
Bachelor of Science from Oakwood College and a Master of Public Health from the University of
Alabama, I served as a Public Health Associate for the Centers for Disease Control. This public
healt...
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11:25am EDT
11:25am EDT
Not So Fast: Using Interlocutory Appeals to Protect Your Client
Wednesday July 22, 2026 11:25am - 12:25pm EDT
Speakers 
Sara Maier is an Assistant Public Defender in the Enotah Judicial Circuit. She graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2022 and started working in the Enotah Circuit that same year. She practices in superior court and occasionally, juvenile. When not working, she enjoys...
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Circuit Public Defender, Enotah Public Defender's Office
Penny Hunter is a graduate of North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, Georgia and a 2012 graduate of the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia. After law school she worked for Strickland, Chesnutt, and Lindsey in Winder, Georgia. In 2013, she was offered an...
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11:25am EDT
Not So Fast: Using Interlocutory Appeals to Protect Your Client
Wednesday July 22, 2026 11:25am - 12:25pm EDT
Speakers
Circuit Public Defender, Enotah Public Defender's Office
Penny Hunter is a graduate of North Georgia College and State University in Dahlonega, Georgia and a 2012 graduate of the Appalachian School of Law in Grundy, Virginia. After law school she worked for Strickland, Chesnutt, and Lindsey in Winder, Georgia. In 2013, she was offered an...
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Sara Maier is an Assistant Public Defender in the Enotah Judicial Circuit. She graduated from the University of Chicago Law School in 2022 and started working in the Enotah Circuit that same year. She practices in superior court and occasionally, juvenile. When not working, she enjoys...
Read More →
11:25am EDT
11:25am EDT
11:45am EDT
12:00pm EDT
12:25pm EDT
3:15pm EDT
