Regional Centers
NJDC collaborates with nine Regional Juvenile Defender Centers. Each Center coordinates activities in the states within its region and keeps NJDC connected to the front lines of juvenile defense, whether they are in an urban, suburban, rural, or tribal setting. The activities each Center undertakes include helping to compile and analyze juvenile indigent defense data, facilitating organizing and networking opportunities for juvenile defenders, offering targeted state-based training and technical assistance, and providing case support specifically designed for complex or high profile cases.
Each Regional Center has its own website focusing on issues relevant to the states of that region. While the NJDC website acts as a clearinghouse for juvenile defense information nationwide and pulls from sources in each state, for more discrete issues or targeted state-based work, or to become part of the regional network of defenders, check out the Regional Centers’ websites. To join the email listserv for your region, please sign up on the listserv page of the NJDC website.
Central Juvenile Defender Center
Arkansas, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee
Christina Kleiser
Knox County Public Defender’s
Community Law Office
1101 Liberty Street
Knoxville, TN 37919-2328
(865) 215-6473
ckleiser@pdknox.orgTrent Wetta
Conlee, Schmidt & Emerson, LLP
200 W. Douglas Ave, Suite 300
Wichita, KS 67202
(316) 302-5291
trent@wettalaw.com
Mid-Atlantic Juvenile Defender Center
District of Columbia, Maryland, Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Virginia, and West Virginia
Rebba Omer
Georgetown University Law Center
Juvenile Justice Initiative
600 New Jersey Ave, N.W., Suite 127
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 662-9178
rebba.omer@georgetown.eduKristin Henning
Georgetown University Law Center
Juvenile Justice Initiative
600 New Jersey Ave, N.W., Suite 127
Washington, DC 20001
(202) 662-9592
hennink@law.georgetown.edu
Debbie St. Jean
Office of the Maryland Public Defender
Juvenile Protection Division
201 East Baltimore Street
Baltimore, MD 21202
(410) 209-8684
Dst.jean@opd.state.md.us
Midwest Juvenile Defender Center
Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin
Kristen Staley
Michigan Indigent Defense Commission
200 N. Washington Sq.
Lansing, MI 48913
(517) 582-2427
staleyk@michigan.govDiane Rondini
Wisconsin State Public Defender
17 S. Fairchild St., 2nd Fl.
Madison, WI 53703
(608) 261-5417
rondinid@opd.wi.gov
New England Juvenile Defender Center
Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont
Pamela Jones
New Hampshire Public Defender
44 Franklin St.
Nashua, NH 03064
(339) 368-1220
pjones@nhpd.orgWendy Wolf
Youth Advocacy Division
Committee for Public Counsel Services
44 Bromfield Street
Boston, MA 02108
(617) 988-8451
wwolf@publiccounsel.net
Northeast Juvenile Defender Center
Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania
Lisa Minutola
Delaware Office of Defense Services
820 North French Street, 3rd Floor
Wilmington, DE 19801
(302) 577-5118
lisa.minutola@delaware.govKristina Kersey
New Jersey Office of the Public Defender
31 Clinton Street, 4th Floor
Newark, NJ 07102
(973) 648-3470
kristina.kersey@opd.nj.gov
Pacific Juvenile Defender Center
California
Laurel Arroyo
Alameda County Public Defender
1401 Lakeside Drive, Suite 300
Oakland, CA 94612
(510) 272-6777
laurel.arroyo@acgov.orgPatricia Soung
Juvenile Justice Consultant
psoungconsulting@gmail.com
Southern Juvenile Defender Center
Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, and South Carolina
Richard Pittman
Juvenile Defender Services
Louisiana Public Defender Board
301 Main St. Ste. 700
Baton Rouge, LA 70825
(225) 219-9305 Ext. 215
rpittman@lpdb.la.govRandee Waldman
Juvenile Defender Clinic
Emory Law School
1301 Clifton Rd.
Atlanta, GA 30322
(404) 727-6235
rwaldm2@emory.edu
Southwest Juvenile Defender Center
Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas, and Utah
Cindy Aragon
New Mexico Legal Aid Native American Program
PO Box 817
Bernalillo, NM 87004
(505) 350-5650
cindya@nmlegalaid.orgChristina Phillis
Maricopa County Office of Public Defense Services
620 W. Jackson, Suite 3076
Phoenix, AZ 85003
(602) 506-1977
phillisc@mail.maricopa.govPamela Vickrey
Utah Juvenile Defender Attorneys
8 East Broadway, Suite 500
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
(602) 506-1977
pvickrey@ujda.org
Western Juvenile Defender Center
Alaska, American Samoa, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, and Wyoming
Susan Roske
Henderson, NV 89074
wjdc.nv@gmail.comJennifer Fraser
Clark County Public Defender
601 N. Pecos Rd., South Building #49
Las Vegas, NV 89101
(702) 455-0811
fraserja@clarkcountynv.gov
Territory Not Associated with a Regional Center
The Northern Mariana Islands
NJDC is working to develop stronger ties to the defender community in this territory. Contact NJDC directly at 202-452-0010 or inquiries@njdc.info for more on our efforts in this area.