Montco Requests Nominations For Public Defender Advisory Board

NORRISTOWN, PA –Montgomery County seeks to create an Advisory Board to play the central role in appointing the chief public defender.

Montgomery County contracted with Temple University to identify issues and provide recommendations with regard to the best governance structure for its Office of the Public Defender.

In July 2022, the county authorized a $30,00o contract with Temple University Beasley School of Law Sheller Center for Social Justice to provide the report.

The contract was awarded following the firing of the chief public defender and the deputy public defender in the wake over a dispute over the bail system for the indigent.

A nominating committee is beginning the process to establish an independent Office of the Public Defender Advisory Board. These are the members:

• Keir Bradford-Grey, partner at Montgomery McCracken
• Anna M. Durbin, criminal defense attorney
• Deah Gerard-May, NAACP Ambler branch president
• Dr. Vernon Ross, Jr., director of inclusion & diversity at Science Application International Corporation
• Joseph P. Walsh, parnter at Walsh Panico LLP, Lansdale, and former county judge.

Donna Richemond, Montgomery County’s chief of diversity, equity and inclusion; Alana Hook, county chief of policy and social services with the county's public defender office; and Yvonne Montgomery, senior assistant solicito, are serving as non-voting members of the nominating committee.

The advisory board will consist of nine members. They will be appointed by commissioners to serve on this board for a term of three years.

Members of the public are encouraged to apply or submit nominations for the advisory board online using this online form. Paper forms are also available by emailing advisorycouncil@montcopa.org. The deadline for submission is Friday, July 1, 2022 at 5 p.m.

The advisory board is expected to be finalized by end of summer and subsequently begin the process to appoint a chief public defender.