• Our Board of Directors

    The Board ensures that NAPD is true to its mission, vision, goals, and values. The Board of Directors, working alongside all NAPD members, is working toward:

    • Securing revenue;
    • Growing membership;
    • Reinforcing NAPD’s mission, vision, goals, and values;
    • Creating a sustainable governance structure; and
    • Improving public defense throughout the nation.


    The Board of Directors is led by an Executive Committee, which includes the Officers of the Board, the immediate Past-President, and two at-large members. The board now encompasses both NAPD and the Fund For Justice. The Executive Committee members are:

    • President – Anthony Benedetti, Chief Counsel, Committee for Public Counsel Services (Boston, MA)
    • First Vice President – La Mer Kyle-Griffiths, Training Division Director, Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office (Los Angeles, CA)
    • Second Vice President – Brendon Woods, Chief Public Defender, Alameda County Public Defender’s Office (Oakland, CA)
    • Third Vice President – Cheryl Hughes-Redd, Digital Forensics Analyst Manager, Maryland Office of the Public Defender (Baltimore, MD)
    • Secretary – Dawne Mitchell, Chief Attorney, Juvenile Rights Practice with the Legal Aid Society (New York, NY)
    • Treasurer – Deepak Budwani, Chief Financial and Administrative Officer, Santa Barbara County Public Defender, (Santa Barbara, CA)
    • Immediate Past President – Elizabeth Miller, State Public Defender, Ohio Office of the Public Defender, (Columbus, OH)

    Cydni Sanchez
    Keisha Hudson
    Emily Hughes
    Manohar Raju
    Rebecca Yung
    Darwin Hamilton
    Sharone Mitchell
    Terri Collins-Green
    Greg Mermelstein
    David Davilla
    Arlene Anderson
    Basima Hafiz
    Jim Bethke
    Jonathan Sacks
    • Cydni Sanchez, Deputy Chief Public Defender, New Mexico Law Offices of the Public Defender, Albuquerque, NM
    • Keisha Hudson, Chief Defender, Defender Association of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA
    • Emily Hughes, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Iowa College of Law, University of Iowa
    • Manohar Raju, Public Defender, San Francisco Public Defender
    • Rebecca Yung, Assistant Public Defender, Concho Valley Public Defender’s Office
    • Darwin Hamilton, Director of Financial Management, State Office of Risk Management, Austin TX
    • Sharone Mitchell, Public Defender, Cook County Public Defender
    • Terri Collins-Green, Director of Social Work, Maryland Office of Public Defender
    • Greg Mermelstein, Deputy Director / General Counsel / Records Custodian, Missouri State Public Defender
    • David Davila, Chief Investigator, Federal Public Defender Western District of Texas
    • Arlene Anderson, Trainer, Maricopa County Office of the Public Defender
    • Basima Hafiz, Managing Director, New York County Defender Services
    • Jim Bethke, Executive Director, Managing Assigned Counsel Office, Bexar County, Texas
    • Jonathan Sacks, Of Counsel, Salvatore Prescott Porter and Porter