AUGUSTA, GA – The 2024-2025 Georgia Public Defender Council’s Leadership Academy launched in September.
The importance of the nine-month program was highlighted during a welcome dinner hosted by GPDC leaders.
Executive Director Omotayo Alli, Chief Legal Officer Natalie Glaser, Augusta Circuit Public Defender Rahmaan Bowick, former Augusta Circuit Public Defender Kate Mason, and Leadership Academy 2023-2024 graduate John Wilson congratulated the 22 GPDC attorneys selected for the Academy from some 400 statewide.
Alli said the program, now in its second year, benefits both GPDC attorneys and their clients.
“GPDC is proud to launch its second Leadership Academy class, continuing our commitment to preparing the rising generation of public defender leaders. Supporting our attorneys is a top priority, and we have worked hard to make GPDC an agency that invests in its attorneys and promotes from within— a place where learning, growth, and advancement are possible. The Leadership Academy classes are at the forefront of this effort, and we look forward to all its current students and graduates on behalf of their clients and the communities they serve.”
John Wilson, a public defender from Columbus and 2023-2024 Leadership Academy alumnus, told the incoming students that despite arriving at the Academy last year unsure of its benefits he came away from the nine program sessions reinvigorated and briming with new ways of thinking.
The initial three-day session of the Leadership Academy created and led by UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government included interactive sessions focused on sharpening leadership communication skills and fostering personal connections.
Learning From the Past
Donna Seagraves, GPDC’s Piedmont Circuit Public Defender, and keynote speaker at the session, shared her extensive experience from her 37-year career as a public defender.
Seagraves began with an overview of Georgia’s public defense history, discussing its challenges and key factors for success. She emphasized the importance to Academy students of understanding historical context, securing adequate funding, maintaining strong relationships, and being adaptable.
She discussed the transition in 2003 from the Georgia Indigent Defense Council to the Georgia Public Defender Council (GPDC), formed to address inconsistent funding and improve representation for low-income individuals. The GPDC was initially part of the state’s judicial system but is now an independent agency of the Executive Branch. It oversees public defense funds and supports local public defenders balancing centralized oversight with local control.
Seagraves also discussed the challenges resulting from the 2003 charter of the Georgia Public Defender Council (GPDC), comparing it to the complex street plan of Atlanta.
” I mean, it is an absolute automatic thought when you’re driving and you think of all of the ways it could be more efficient, and if you had been designing it, it would be completely different. And our agency is a lot like that,” said Seagraves. She argued that a better understanding of the law’s constraints would help the public recognize the agency’s structural challenges.
Seagraves, one of eight members of the Council overseeing GPDC, was first appointed by Georgia Governor Nathan Deal and reappointed in December 2020 by Governor Brian Kemp. She noted there are some advantages to the agency’s top-down power structure, with the governor directly influencing decisions by appointing the executive director, who oversees GPDC’s 49 circuit public defenders.
“It works out very well for us in many ways because when we do something with the governor’s blessing, it’s much more likely to get through the legislature.”
One example was passage in 2022 of the only of its kind in the nation legislation requiring pay parity between Circuit Public Defenders and District Attorneys in Georgia. HB 1391, endorsed by the Office of the Governor was passed unanimously by the General Assembly.
The current structure has also allowed for better understanding of agency financial needs by top state leaders, leading to consistent year-over-year budget increases; Funding that has allowed GPDC to enhance its services.
Progress
Examples of improvements initiated by GPDC Director Alli since Governor Kemp appointed her in late 2019 include creating a Client Support Services Unit to provide additional support and resources for GPDC clients, a Youth Advocacy Division focused on addressing the specialized legal needs and challenges of young clients, a Specialized Gang/RICO Unit focused on the increasing numbers of Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations cases and a Cross-Circuit Representation Program that allows GPDC attorneys to work across jurisdictions and case types to expand the agency’s ability to reduce backlogs due to multiple defendant cases.
GPDC University, an online platform for training and onboarding of GPDC employees facilitates an accessible and efficient training processes.
Revamped In-Person Training provides targeted learning opportunities for specific legal specialties such as Youth Defense.
Continuing Legal Education (CLE) Support now covers the cost for up to 12 hours of attorney Continuing Legal Education (CLE) for professional development and State Bar education requirements.
GPDC Leadership Academy offers comprehensive leadership training specifically tailored for public defenders, focusing on developing their leadership skills within the legal context.
See you at graduation!
2023-2024 Leadership Academy alumnus John Wilson closed out the three-day session by emphasizing the importance of not delaying work on the required assignments, noting that time between meetings can pass quickly.
Wilson, a 19-year public defender in the GPDC Columbus office, told students to not be deterred by being scattered across the state as he found that modern technology facilitated communication and collaboration with classmates. He also emphasized the importance of meeting deadlines to avoid last-minute stress and encourage forming supportive relationships within the cohort.
Wilson said his experience was that the sessions can be enjoyable and beneficial if approached with the right mindset. After offering to help or provide insights Wilson wished the group well and said, “See you at graduation.”
Remaining Leadership Academy session locations include Young Harris, Stone Mountain, Helena, Peachtree City, Dawsonville, Pine Mountain, Jekyll Island, and Athens as Academy students work toward graduation in May 2025 at the University of Georgia.
The GPDC Leadership Academy combines theory and practical workshops on strategic thinking, communication, decision-making, conflict resolution, and more. Participants engage in interactive exercises, case studies, and a capstone project.
Developing skills to lead teams, drive innovation, and effect positive change provides graduates the confidence and competence to assume leadership roles and be influential in their communities.
For the first time attorneys completing the Leadership Academy will qualify for legal continuing education credits through the Institute of Government.
About the Council
The Georgia Public Defender Council provides lawyers for 85 percent of people charged with crimes in Georgia. The Council, created by Georgia’s General Assembly in 2003, provides legal services to indigent defendants in Juvenile, State, and Superior Courts through offices in each of Georgia’s 10 judicial circuits. Learn more at www.gapubdef.org.
