Michael E. Carter is the Executive Director of the Federal Community Defender Office of the Eastern District of Michigan (FCDO). FCDO provides indigent defense for individuals charged with violating federal criminal law, both felony and misdemeanor offenses.

Michael earned his Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Michigan in 2002, and his law degree from Wayne State University in 2007. After graduating from law school, Michael served as an associate attorney for the Law Offices of John A. Shea in Ann Arbor, Michigan. While there, he represented criminal defendants charged in state and federal court. Wanting to devote his practice to representing indigent clients, Michael left private practice in 2011 to join the Public Defender Service of the District of Columbia. Michael spent four years at that office representing adult and juvenile clients charged with felonies in D.C. Superior Court. In January 2016, Michael returned to Michigan to serve as a Deputy Defender with the Federal Defender Office of the Eastern District of Michigan (FDO, the forerunner of the FCDO). He worked at the FDO until August 2019 when he became a supervising attorney with the Neighborhood Defender Service of Detroit representing adult clients in felony cases prosecuted in the Circuit Court of Wayne County while also helping to administer the Wayne County Criminal Advocacy Program. Michael returned to FCDO as the Executive Director in December 2020.

Michael is licensed to practice in both Michigan and Washington, D.C. He currently serves on the boards of the ACLU of Michigan Board of Directors, the Criminal Defense Attorneys of Michigan (CDAM), the Detroit Justice Center, the National Association of Federal Defenders, and the Federal Bar Association Eastern District of Michigan. Michael also serves on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College and is a fellow of the American Board of Criminal Lawyers as well as the Michigan State Bar Foundation.

Byron L. Conway Jr. is the Executive Director for the Federal Defenders program for the Middle District of Georgia. Prior to his current position, he was the Director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for the Office of Respondent Parent Counsel in Denver, CO and was also a trial attorney with the Federal Defender Program, Inc. in Atlanta, GA.

Byron started his legal career as a staff attorney in the trial division of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia, where he tried complex felonies before the D.C. Superior Court. Byron is a proud alumnus of the University of Michigan – Ann Arbor, and Boston University School of Law.

Mildred “Millie” Geckler Dunn has passionately represented indigent clients accused of federal crimes as a staff attorney with the Federal Defender Program, Inc. since April 1993. Millie has tried more than 30 cases and has successfully represented death row inmates in habeas corpus. Millie handles a variety of federal cases, ranging from racketeering offenses, drug distribution, bank and Hobb’s Act robbery cases, carjacking cases, firearms and explosives crimes, fraud and financial crimes, child pornography and enticement crimes, and immigration offenses. Millie continues her representation through sentencing and at appeal, proudly continuing her advocacy for her clients.

Millie was born and raised in Carol City, Florida. She earned a BA in English with High Honors in 1986 from the University of Florida, and a J.D. with honors from the University of Florida’s College of Law. While studying law, Millie clerked for Judge Robert Cates and was a research assistant for three professors. After graduation, Millie joined Vincent, Corey, Taylor and Feil’s complex commercial litigation section in Atlanta. Millie is on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College and has taught at numerous CLE programs, covering diverse topics such as cross-examination, ethical considerations in white collar crime cases, Constitutional challenges, the Rules of Evidence, guideline issues, challenging sentencing enhancements, and effective trial techniques.

Millie has also spent many years advocating for children, through her positions on the North Atlanta High School Local School Counsel, the NAHS Arts Counsel, and her service of the board of a local non-profit Theatre Conservatory. Millie is married to Tom Dunn, who has been a JAG Corps Officer, Executive Director of the Georgia Resource Center, and First Assistant Capital Defender for Western New York. Tom currently teaches Law and Social Justice at South Atlanta High School, as well as leading the Mock Trial Program, Skills USA Program, and Boys Making History mentorship program. Together Tom and Millie have 7 wonderful children and there is never a dull moment.

Melanie Foote is the Director of the Education, Recruitment and Strategic Planning Division for the Kentucky Department of Public Advocacy, the statewide public defender system in Kentucky. Melanie serves on the board of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers and is faculty for the National Criminal Defense College, the National Association for Public Defense, and Gideon’s Promise. She also regularly trains and presents for state and local public defender agencies across the country on topics including trial skills, voir dire with a focus on deselection and sexual based offenses, challenging electronic evidence, use of electronic evidence in cross examination, the ethics of artificial intelligence, and leadership skills. Melanie also developed and launched a structured public defender mentorship program in 2014, which has since been adopted by both federal and state public defender offices. Melanie began her career in public defense in 2007 when joining the Post Conviction Branch of the KY DPA. While in the Post Conviction Branch, Melanie represented adult clients on claims of ineffective assistance of counsel, mistake in the proceedings, and claims of actual innocence and helped to secure the release of numerous individuals for reasons ranging for sentencing miscalculations to actual innocence. In 2009, she joined the Kentucky Innocence Project to work exclusively on DNA based claims of actual innocence. In 2010, Melanie transitioned to a trial position with the DPA and represented clients facing charges ranging from misdemeanors to capital offenses. She then joined the Education Branch of DPA and became the Education Branch Manager in 2019 then Division Director in 2024. Melanie received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, San Diego and her J.D. from Brooklyn Law School. Melanie is a member of the New York and Kentucky State Bars.

Fernando became a lawyer in January of 1983 because he lacked the size, speed and talent to be an NFL quarterback. In order to satisfy his insatiable desire to overcome unending adversity he became a criminal defense lawyer.

He was born in Havana, Cuba in 1955, raised in Louisiana and Wyoming. He graduated from Louisiana State University-Geaux Tigers- and later from the University of Denver College of Law in 1982. He started as a trial lawyer in the Denver trial office of the Colorado State Public Defender’s office in 1983 and spent a total of 25 years with them. He is now in private practice and teaches trial tactics around the US, Mexico, Chile, Cuba and Argentina. He has tried over 130 jury trials and more than 25 homicide trials. He is on the faculty of the National Criminal Defense College and is a member of the American College of trial lawyers.

Kevann A. Gardner, Esq. is an experienced trial attorney who has practiced for over 11 years serving indigent clients in felony and misdemeanor cases. He currently specializes in litigating murder, attempted murder, and first-degree sexual assault cases as a supervising attorney in the Trial Division of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (‘PDS’).

Mr. Gardner began working at PDS in 2005 as a criminal defense investigator. Before starting his current supervisory role, Mr. Gardner served as a law clerk, a staff attorney, a hiring committee member, and the organization’s client intake representative. He also worked as a public defender at the Legal Aid Society in the Bronx, New York, handling misdemeanor and felony cases. He currently teaches in trial advocacy programs at Harvard Law School, the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, the National Criminal Defense College (NCDC), and the Defender Institute Basic Trials Skills Program for the New York State Defenders Association. He is also an adjunct professor at the American University Washington College of Law.

Mr. Gardner was born and raised in Detroit, MI. He earned his B.A. from Oakwood University in Huntsville, AL and his J.D. from the Cardozo School of Law in New York, NY. During law school, Mr. Gardner worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, the New York State Assembly Subcommittee on Election Day Operations and Voter Disenfranchisement, and clerked for the Honorable Cheryl E. Chambers in the Appellate Division of the New York State Supreme Court.

Andrea K. George is the Executive Director of the Federal Defenders of Eastern Washington and Idaho. She has held this position since 2012.

Ms. George began her legal career in 1989 as an Appellate Attorney with the Federal Defenders of Minnesota. In 1992 she became a trial attorney with that office and was eventually promoted to Senior Litigator. This year marks her thirtieth with the Federal Defender system. She is currently the President of the National Association of Federal Defenders and is a member of the Board of Regents for the National Criminal Defense College. Ms. George is on the faculty of NCDC and speaks regularly for the Federal Judicial Center and other Defender programs.

Jawara Griffin joined the District of Nevada Office of the Federal Defender as an Assistant Federal Defender in May of 2021. Prior to going to Nevada, Jawara was in the Western District of Tennessee Federal Defender Office as an Assistant Federal. Prior to starting in Federal Court, Jawara was a Public Defender at The Committee for Public Counsel Services in Massachusetts and the Maryland Office of the Public Defender (Baltimore City). He practices under the theory that every human being has the right to competent and effective legal representation regardless of their socio-economic status.

Jawara is a native of Philadelphia, PA where he was groomed to be mentally tough and resilient. He received his Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Administration from Mansfield University in Pennsylvania. After working as a Juvenile Social Worker with the Defender’s Association of Philadelphia and a Probation Officer with the Philadelphia Adult Probation and Parole Department; he decided to continue his education at UMASS Dartmouth School of Law, where he earned his Juris Doctor. While in law school Jawara was a member of Law Review, President of Student Government and President of the Black Law Student Association.

Jawara has earned the reputation of being an aggressive trial attorney ready and willing to fight every legal issue that arises. Moreover, he travels the country as a motivational speaker helping youth realize their greatness and assuring them that they can overcome any obstacle. He also serves on the Board of Directors for Northern Children Services in Philadelphia.