To: Dale K. Weighill, Governmental Operations Committee Chairperson
From: Nathaniel C. Perry, III, Chief Public Defender
title
RE: Approval of a request by the Chief Public Defender for three staff members to travel to the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) We the Defenders Conference in Detroit, MI; the dates of travel are August 12, 2024, through August 15, 2024; total cost for this travel is fully grant funded with an amount not to exceed $3,700.00
recommendation
BOARD ACTION REQUESTED:
Approval of a request by the Chief Public Defender for three staff members to travel to the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) We the Defenders Conference in Detroit, MI; the dates of travel are August 12, 2024, through August 15, 2024; total cost for this travel is fully grant funded with an amount not to exceed $3,700.00
BACKGROUND:
As detailed in the attachment, this year's conference will take place in Detroit, Michigan at Wayne State University, one of the top research and community engagement centers in the country with a focus on holistic defense, NAPD will bring together the pivotal workers in defense-based systems. "We the Defenders" is the essential conference for public defense investigators, mitigation specialists, social workers, paralegals, and other core staff - all roles except attorneys - who play a critical role in defense-based work. Development opportunities, networking, collaboration, and sustainability are woven into the various workshops, small groups, plenaries, and sessions at We the Defenders. This is a celebration of the diversity, skill, and dedication that you bring to the public defense community and an acknowledgment that every member of the team is vital.
DISCUSSION:
The Office of the Public Defender would like to send three staff members, one paralegal, one investigator, and one mitigation specialist, to this year's We the Defender conference. There will be relevant sessions for each related to their job duties. ...
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