Oversight Board
Tamara Giwa
Executive Director and Attorney-in-Chief of the Federal Defenders of New York
Tamara Giwa is the Executive Director and Attorney-in-Chief of the Federal Defenders of New York, where she leads staff across four offices in the Southern and Eastern Districts of New York. Prior to her appointment in 2024, she served as the organization's Director of Strategic Litigation and...
Previous Oversight Board Members and Staff
Melody Brannon
Federal Public Defender
District of Kansas
MELODY BRANNON is the Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas. After receiving her law degree from the University of Oklahoma School of Law, Melody began her legal career with the Oklahoma County Public Defender.
Laine Cardarella
Federal Public Defender
Western District of Missouri
LAINE CARDARELLA received her law degree from the University of Kansas in 1991. She practiced for 7 years with the Missouri State Public Defender System before joining the Federal Public Defender's office in the Western District of Missouri.
Michael Carter
Executive Director
Federal Community Defender Office
Eastern District of Michigan
On December 7, 2020, MICHAEL CARTER became the executive director of the Federal Community Defender Office for the Eastern District of Michigan.
Jennifer Uyeda
Chief of Training
Federal Public Defender
Central District of California
Jennifer Uyeda is the Chief of Training at the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Central District of California, responsible for training the trial, investigator, and paralegal units, as well as the CJA Trial Panel.
Jacqueline A. Johnson
First Assistant
Federal Public Defender Office
Northern District of Ohio
JACKIE, as she is known to everyone, is the First Assistant for the Federal Public Defender Office for the Northern District of Ohio. She has served as a tireless defender since 1987 with a 4‐year break.
Jackie was the first female attorney hired as an assistant defender in its then 14‐year history. She is most proud that more than 30 other female attorneys have since been hired. She was one of two 2020 United States Administrative Office Director Leadership Fellows.
Jackie represented the Defender community when she testified at the United States Congressional Hearing, 25th Anniversary of the Federal Sentencing Guidelines in Chicago, Illinois. She is honored to represent the First Assistants on the Leadership Center Advisory Board.
Celina Moore
Learning and Development Assistant
CELINA MOORE served as the Leadership and Training Assistant with the Federal Defender Leadership Center.