Building Community
NACC State Coordinators
NACC State Coordinators support and connect a growing network of child welfare attorneys. NACC has 40 State Coordinators and adds more each year. This is a critical time to build community and support local practitioners and NACC is grateful for this volunteer network.
Alabama
Stephen “Steve” Schofield, JD
Attorney at Law
Retired
Term 2024-2026
Alaska
Samantha “Reux” Stearns, JD
Assistant Public Advocate
Alaska Office of Public Advocacy
Term 2024-2026
Arizona
Jillian Aja, JD
Bureau Chief
Pima County Office of Children’s Counsel
Term 2023-2025
Arkansas
Chrishuana Taggart, JD
Attorney ad Litem
Administrative Office of the Courts
Term 2024-2026
California
Dean Conklin, JD, CWLS
Resource and Training Attorney
Children’s Law Center of California
Term 2024-2026
Colorado
Ashley Chase, JD, CWLS
Staff Attorney and Legislative Liaison
Office of the Child’s Representative
Term 2023-2025
Delaware
Stephanie Reid, JD, CWLS
Attorney at Law
Private Practice
Term 2024-2026
District of Columbia
Keely Magyar, JD, CWLS
Assistant Attorney General, Child Protection
Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia
Term 2023-2025
Florida
Taylor Sartor, JD
Staff Attorney
Bay Area Legal Services (Founder, FosterPower)
Term 2024-2026
Georgia
Emma Hetherington, JD, CWLS
Director, CEASE Clinic
University of Georgia Law School
Term 2024-2026
Idaho
Jessalyn Hopkin, JD
Juvenile Deputy Public Defender
Bannock County Public Defender’s Office
Term 2024-2026
Indiana
Rachel Vilensky, JD, CWLS
Director, Direct Representation Program
Child Advocates, Inc.
Term 2024-2026
Iowa
Ellen Ramsey-Kacena, JD, CWLS
Attorney at Law
Bray and Klockau
Term 2023-2025
Kansas
Kerrie Lonard, JD
Kansas Child Advocate
Kansas Office of Public Advocates, Division of the Child Advocate
Term 2023-2025
Louisiana
Rebecca May-Ricks, JD, CWLS
Director, Child Advocacy Program
Mental Health Advocacy Service
Term 2023-2025
Maine
Taylor Kilgore, JD
Attorney and Owner
Kilgore Law, PLLC
Term 2024-2026
Maryland
Richard A. Perry, JD
Senior CINA Attorney
Maryland Legal Aid Bureau
Term 2023-2025
Michigan
Esther F. Flowers, JD
Managing Attorney
Rose Legal Services, Juvenile Law Group
Term 2023-2025
Mississippi
Jennifer Morgan, JD, CWLS
Parent Defense Program Manager
Office of the State Public Defender
Term 2024-2026
Missouri
Katie Wiehl, JD, CWLS
Director of Legal Services
Jackson County CASA
Term 2024-2026
Montana
Sarah Chase Rosario, JD, CWLS
Attorney at Law
Sarah Chase Rosario, Esq.
Term 2024-2026
Nevada
Angela Cook, JD
Team Chief, Children’s Attorneys Project
Legal Aid Center of Southern Nevada
Term 2024-2026
New Hampshire
Lisa Wolford, JD
Executive Director
Children’s Law Center of New Hampshire
Term 2023-2025
New Jersey
Neha Gogate, Esq.
Assistant Deputy Public Defender
Office of Law Guardian – Appellate & Special Interests Advocacy Section
Term 2023-2025
New Mexico
Beth A. Gillia, JD, MA
Executive Director
New Mexico Office of Family Representation and Advocacy
Term 2023-2025
New York
Melissa Paul-Franklyn, JD
Deputy Attorney-in-Charge
The Legal Aid Society, Juvenile Rights Practice
Term 2023-2025
Ohio
Jennifer Reed, JD
Senior Staff Attorney
Ohio Department of Children and Youth
Term 2024-2026
Oklahoma
Timothy Michaels-Johnson, JD
Managing Attorney for Child Representation
Family Advocacy and Representation Program, Legal Aid of Oklahoma
Term 2023-2025
Oregon
Cathy Ouellette, JD, CWLS
Attorney at Law
Cathy Ouellette, Attorney at Law
Term 2023-2025
Pennsylvania
Nesta N. Johnson, JD
Family Law Staff Attorney
National Center for Lesbian Rights
Term 2023-2025
South Carolina
Margaret Bodman, JD
Senior Resource Attorney
Children’s Law Center at University of South Carolina
Term 2024-2026
Tennessee
Stacie Odeneal, JD, CWLS
Attorney and Owner
The Odeneal Firm
Term 2024-2026
Texas
Crystal Leff-Piñon, JD
Director of Family Protection Representation
Texas Indigent Defense Commission
Term 2024-2026
Utah
Dianne Balmain, JD, CWLS
Assistant Attorney General
Utah Attorney General’s Office
Term 2024-2026
Vermont
Matthew Bernstein, JD
Child, Youth, and Family Advocate
Vermont Office of the Child, Youth, and Family Advocate
Term 2024-2026
Virginia
Valerie L’Herrou, JD
Staff Attorney for Family Law and Child Welfare
Virginia Poverty Law Center
Term 2024-2026
Washington
Bailey Zydek, JD
Children’s Representation Program Manager
Office of Civil Legal Aid
Term 2024-2026
West Virginia
Cathy Bond Wallace, JD
Executive Director
ChildLaw Services, Inc.
Term 2024-2026
Wisconsin
Adam Zaiger, JD
Staff Attorney
Kids Matter Inc.
Term 2024-2026
Become a State Coordinator
State Coordinators help lead outreach efforts and provide localized support to growing networks of practitioners in their respective states. They serve as a liaison between NACC and child welfare practitioners, courts, organizations, and law schools and help grow the NACC community.