2024 Color of Mitigation: Full Schedule

This is the online schedule and program for the 2024 Color of Mitigation Virtual Conference
Check back as we get closer to see the agenda and speakers

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12:45pm EST

Welcome

Thursday November 7, 2024 12:45pm - 1:00pm EST

Speakers

Lori James-Townes

Executive Director, National Association for Public Defense

Lori James-Townes is the Executive Director of the National Association of Public Defense. Lori assumed this leadership position after three years of working as Assistant Training Director for NAPD and more than 25 years of working on defense teams representing indigent defendants... Read More →

Jerilyn Bell

Georgia Capital Defender, Director, Georgia Public Defender Council

Jerilyn Bell is the Director of the Georgia Capital Defender’s Office in Atlanta, Georgia. She has handled over 25 capital cases while at the Capital Defenders Office. Prior to joining the Capital’s Defenders Office in 2011, she was a public defender for 13 years at the Legal... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2024 12:45pm - 1:00pm EST

Plenary

1:05pm EST

Race Based Traumatic Stress

Thursday November 7, 2024 1:05pm - 2:10pm EST

Room A

Speakers

Dr. Robert Carter

Dr. Jessica Forsyth

Senior Associate, Robert T. Carter & Associates

Jessica M. Forsyth, PhD is a licensed psychologist and Senior Associate at Robert T. Carter & Associates, an expert witness practice specializing in the assessment of racial trauma, where she has consulted on a variety of civil and criminal cases for 15 years. She has more than two... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2024 1:05pm - 2:10pm EST
Room A

Plenary

2:10pm EST

Break

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:10pm - 2:20pm EST

Break

2:20pm EST

Empowering Defense Voices—Prioritizing the Needs of Your Client

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:20pm - 3:20pm EST

Room B

Speakers

Robert Jones

Director of Community Outreach, Client Advocate, Lead Organizer, The Orleans Public Defenders Office: Re-entry Unit

Robert Jones is a New Orleans native and 2017 exoneree for serving more than 23 years in prison for crimes he did not commit. Since being freed and cleared of all charges, Mr. Jones has become a renowned community activist, criminal and social justice reformer, serial entrepreneur... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:20pm - 3:20pm EST
Room B

Breakout Sessions

2:20pm EST

So You Want to Go Into Private Practice?

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:20pm - 3:20pm EST

Room C

Interested in starting your own private practice? This session covers essential steps and practical tools for launching a successful private practice in investigation and mitigation within public defense. Establishing a private practice allows you to continue your commitment to client advocacy while building an independent career. Gain insights and tips to help ensure your practice thrives

Speakers

Kasandra Washington

CEO/ Founder, FFO Investigations, Goldman Sachs One Million Black Women In Business

Kasandra Washington’s career in public defense spans over a decade, marked by a deep commitment to client advocacy and justice reform. After graduating in 2013 with a Criminal Justice degree and a minor in Business from the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, she began her professional... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:20pm - 3:20pm EST
Room C

Breakout Sessions

2:20pm EST

Team Dynamics: Navigating Challenges and Building Relationship

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:20pm - 3:20pm EST

Room D

Speakers

Christian Lassiter

Capital Fellow, Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project

Christian Lassiter is a Capital Fellow with the Federal Death Penalty Resource Counsel Project. Previously,Christian served as an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Maryland (AFPD). As an AFPD,Christian represented clients facing complex felony charges, including... Read More →

Jerilyn Bell

Georgia Capital Defender, Director, Georgia Public Defender Council

Thursday November 7, 2024 2:20pm - 3:20pm EST
Room D

Breakout Sessions

3:20pm EST

Break

Thursday November 7, 2024 3:20pm - 3:30pm EST

Break

3:30pm EST

Culturally Competent Mitigation

Thursday November 7, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST

Room C

This training will speak to and give theoretical context and practice on how to address mitigation in a culturally competent fashion. It will also weave the context of this style of mitigation into the contemporary calls for social justice and criminal justice reform.

Speakers

Donavan Bailey, LSW, EdD

Social Worker/Dispositional Advisor, Minnesota Public Defenders Office

Donavan is a Licensed Social Worker and Dispositional Advisor with the Minnesota Public Defender’s Office. He has also served in this capacity for the past 17 years with the Colorado Public Defender Office and the Maricopa County Public Defender Office working on capital cases... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST
Room C

Breakout Sessions

3:30pm EST

The Integrity of Your Investigation: Advocating for Best Practices

Thursday November 7, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST

Room B

Sometimes leaders need to hear from other leaders. This session will offer leaders an opportunity to talk about challenges they are facing with their peers and the session leader while seeking support and suggestions.

Zoom Passcode: 170599

Speakers

Chris Chang

Founder, Mitigation Specialist and Cultural Expert, 255 Investigation

Chris ChangFounder, Cultural Expert, Mitigation Specialist and Fact Investigator255 Research and Investigation was founded in 2012 by Chris Chang. Chris worked for over 7 years as Senior Investigator at the London-based legal action charity Reprieve. During his time there he worked... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST
Room B

Breakout Sessions

3:30pm EST

The Power of Litigation

Thursday November 7, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST

Room D

Speakers

Tony Haughton

Deputy Director, Capital Resource Counsel Project

ANTHONY S. HAUGHTON (Deputy Director, Capital Resource Counsel Project) is currently based out of Houston, Texas. He served most recently as the Associate Director of the Earl Carl Institute at the Thurgood Marshall School of Law, where he was also the Managing Attorney of the School’s... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2024 3:30pm - 4:30pm EST
Room D

Breakout Sessions

4:30pm EST

Break

Thursday November 7, 2024 4:30pm - 4:45pm EST

Break

4:45pm EST

Building Resilience and Wellness in Mitigation Work

Thursday November 7, 2024 4:45pm - 5:30pm EST

Room A

This workshop will explore how compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, and moral injury uniquely impact people of color working in mitigation. We’ll discuss ways to build resilience, nurture compassion satisfaction, and stay connected to ourselves and each other in this demanding work. Participants will leave with practical tips and tools for developing a more sustainable, healthy practice. Being intentional about this not only supports our own well-being but also enhances the quality of support and representation we provide. This session is valuable for anyone working directly with clients, including social workers, attorneys, mitigation specialists, and other advocates.

Speakers

Marisa Beckley

Director of Workplace Wellness, The Bronx Defenders

Marisa Beckley has nearly a decade of experience in public defense. She previously held roles in client advocacy at the Neighborhood Defender Service of Harlem, where she supported people in civil, criminal, family, and immigration defense settings. Marisa holds a Master of Science... Read More →

Thursday November 7, 2024 4:45pm - 5:30pm EST
Room A

Plenary