Event Information

Amie L. Clifford serves as General Counsel and Director of Education Services for the South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination. Her responsibilities include providing legal advice and services to the Commission and, upon request, the Solicitors and their staff; the planning, implementation and management of educational programs for state and local prosecutors; making presentations on various topics; monitoring and analyzing appellate opinions and rule changes; monitoring, analyzing and, as needed, drafting legislation; and special projects, including preparation of amicus briefs.

Prior to joining the Commission in November 2007, she was employed by the National District Attorneys Association as the Director of the National Center for Prosecution Ethics and as an Assistant Director of Programs for the National College of District Attorneys. Immediately prior to joining NDAA/NCDA, she served as a Judicial Fellow (now called Supreme Court Fellow) at the U.S. Sentencing Commission (1999 – 2000), and, before that, as an Assistant Solicitor in the Charleston County Solicitor’s Office (1991 – 1999), Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Appeals Section of the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office (1984 – 1991), and Staff Attorney with Piedmont Legal Services, Inc. (1983 – 1984). As a volunteer, Ms. Clifford has represented the State in criminal appeals as a Special Assistant Attorney General (2006 – 2010; 2013 – 2018).

She has been involved in organized Bar activities at both the state and national level. Her current service includes Chair of the South Carolina Bar Ethics Advisory Committee, Immediate Past-Chair of the Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section, Member of the South Caroling Bar House of Delegates, Member of the Professional Responsibility Committee, Member of the Practice and Procedure Committee, and Volunteer, Fee Dispute Board. Her past Bar services includes service as President of the South Carolina Women Lawyers Association (1999; 2019), President of the South Carolina Chapter of the Federal Bar Association (2001 – 2002), President of the South Carolina Bar Young Lawyers Division (1992 – 1993), Chair of the South Carolina Bar Criminal Law Section (1991 – 1992), Chair of the South Carolina Bar Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section (2003 – 2004; 2021 – 2022), and member of the ABA Standing Committee on Ethics and Professional Responsibility (2005 – 2008), and Council member of the ABA Criminal Justice Section (1995 – 1998). She is also a Fellow of the National Institute for the Teaching of Ethics and Professionalism (Inaugural Group) (2005). Since 1985, she has participated in CLE trainings conducted by the South Carolina Bar, the ABA, and other organizations. Ms. Clifford has served as a contributing author for publications of the South Carolina Bar (South Carolina Jurisprudence and South Carolina Criminal Trial Techniques Handbook), the ABA (The Fourth Amendment Handbook: A Chronological Survey of Supreme Court Decisions (2nd ed.) (published in October 2002 by the ABA, for which she also served as co-editor), and the National District Attorneys Association (Doing Justice: A Prosecutor’s Guide to Ethics and Civil Liability (2nd ed. 2007 NDAA) (also served as editor) and Managing Prosecutors (2007 NDAA)).

Ms. Clifford received her Bachelor of Arts degree (French) from Northwestern State University of Louisiana (at the age of 19) and her law degree from the University of South Carolina School of Law in May 1982 (at the age of 22). She was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in November of that same year.

 Mr. Barnette is the Solicitor for the Seventh Judicial Circuit Solicitor Office, which consists of Spartanburg and Cherokee County since February 2011. He was the Principal Deputy Solicitor for the Seventh Judicial Circuit from January 2001 to February 2011. He was a Spartanburg County Magistrate Court Judge from July 1996 to January 2001. He was an Assistant Solicitor from January 1991 to July 1996. He was in private practice from June 1990 to January 1991 in Easley, South Carolina. He also taught Chemistry and Physical Science at Travelers Rest High School from August 1988 to June 1990. He graduated from the West Virginia University College of Law in 1988 with a J.D. Degree. He graduated from Marshall University in 1985 and received a B.A. Degree in Education with specializations in Chemistry and General Science. He received the 2006 Ernest F. Hollings Award for Excellence in state prosecution that is his profession's top honor in the State of South Carolina. He received an Outstanding Traffic Safety Prosecutor Award from the National Association of Prosecutor Coordinators in 2006. He received the 2007 Prosecutor of the Year Award from the South Carolina Department of Public Safety. He received the 2010 Criminal Justice Award from the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network (SCV AN) for his work with crime victims and their families. He received the 2013 Solicitor of the Year Award from the South Carolina Victim Advocate Association (SCLEV A). He has taught numerous classes, seminars, and presentations through South Carolina and the Southeast. He has taught Evidence Law and DUI Law at the South Carolina Magistrate Court Orientation School and training seminars (1997-2011). He done presentations at the Death Penalty sections and training (2004-2016) and Driving section (1991- 2016) at the South Carolina Solicitor's Conferences and Training Sessions. He has made a presentation at Southeast Law Enforcement Training at Lawrenceburg, Tennessee in 2005. He received an award from MADD in 1996 for his traffic prosecution in the Seventh Judicial Circuit. He received the Spartanburg Optimist Club Award for Outstanding Prosecution in 2002. He was a contributing author in Handling Traffic Cases in South Carolina, 4^th Edition (2005) and 5th Edition (2012). He also has produced the Case Law on Driving Cases in South Carolina booklet for several years for judges, attorneys, and law enforcement officers through South Carolina. In his position of Spartanburg County Magistrate Court Judge, he heard over a hundred jury trials including civil and criminal matters. He also heard hundreds of non-jury trials including civil and criminal matters. He was on the Commission of Judicial Conduct for the State of South Carolina involving discipline matters involving judges of all levels from 1997 to 2001. He is also a member of the South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination (SCCPC). In his position of Assistant Solicitor, Principal Deputy Solicitor, and Solicitor in the Seventh Judicial Circuit, he has prosecuted hundreds of cases and handled over one hundred trials over all types ranging from DUI to Death Penalty cases.

Mrs. Duncan attended Midlands Technical College, the College of Criminal Justice at the University of South Carolina, and the School of Law at the University of South Carolina earning an Associate of Science in Criminal Justice, a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice (minors in Political Science and Psychology), and a Juris Doctorate.  

After completing the Bar Exam, Mrs. Duncan worked for the South Carolina Attorney General’s Office handling Sexually Violent Predator civil commitment cases for 2 ½ years.  Mrs. Duncan transferred to the South Carolina Criminal Justice Academy as an attorney in the advanced training section and later as the General Counsel for the Academy.  In July 2015, Mrs. Duncan brought her specialized skill set for administrative appeals to the SCDMV.  Mrs. Duncan is one of the foremost experts in South Carolina DMV law in the State, with a strong emphasis on appeals to the ALC, Court of Appeals, and Supreme Court. While working at the SCDMV, Mrs. Duncan was promoted to the Deputy General Counsel and then General Counsel position. In November 2024, Mrs. Duncan joined the Advice Counsel team at the SC Department of Labor, Licensing, and Regulation.

Mrs. Duncan was the legal representative on the Driver Standing and Vehicle Standing Committees for the Association of American Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA). Mrs. Duncan was also the Chairman of the ACD Working Group for AAMVA and the South Carolina Impaired Driving Prevention Council. Finally, Mrs. Duncan was an ex officio member of the SC MADD State Advisory Board for a number of years representing the SCDMV.

Chris Murphy graduated with a BA degree from The Citadel in 1990. In 1995, he received a Doctorate of Jurisprudence Degree from Mississippi College School of Law and upon graduation moved back to South Carolina where he began his legal career as a prosecutor with the First Judicial Circuit. While at the Solicitor's office, he served as Senior Assistant Solicitor under Solicitor Walter M. Bailey, Jr. where he prosecuted serious felony cases and obtained hundreds of convictions for offenses including Murder, Assault and Battery with the Intent to Kill, Criminal Sexual Conduct, Armed Robbery and Drug Trafficking. During his time as an assistant solicitor, he was also appointed as a Special Assistant United States Attorney assigned to a Multi-County

Violent Crime and Drug Task Force.

Following his career as a state prosecutor, he was a joint founder of Quattlebaum and Murphy, LLP which later merged into his current law practice, Murphy Law Firm, LLC.

Mr. Murphy is past Chairman of Dorchester County Council and served District 2 from January 6, 2003 until his election to the SC House of Representatives on November 8, 2010 where he is presently Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee. Mr. Murphy is a founding member of the Summerville Miracle League and is active in the Summerville Rotary.Club, as well as being a sustaining member off the Coastal Community Foundation-Dorchester County Fund. He has served as President of the Summerville Citadel Club. He is an avid volunteer for children's sports teams in the area and has served as coach and sponsor for the YMCA, Parks Field

and Sertoma teams throughout the years. He is married to the Honorable Maite Murphy who serves as a Circuit Court Judge. He and his wife reside in North Charleston with their two sons, Austin and Jackson.

Mr. Scalzo is an assistant attorney general working for the S.C. Attorney General's office in the Violent Crimes Case Reduction Unit. Before starting with the Attorney General's office, Mr. Scalzo was of-counsel with Tuner, Padget, Graham and Laney, PA, where he handled complex civil and criminal litigation matters. Mr. Scalzo was the Circuit Public Defender for the 13th Judicial Circuit, which includes Greenville and Pickens Counties from 2018 to 2022, and in August of 2011, was appointed by the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense to act as Interim Circuit Public Defender for the 10th Judicial, which includes Anderson and Oconee Counties.

Mr. Scalzo is a graduate of Rutgers College and Rutgers Law School. He was admitted to the South Carolina Bar in 2002. He is a member of the Bar of the United States Supreme Court as well as the Greenville County Bar.  Mr. Scalzo has been certified by the South Carolina Supreme Court to be Lead Counsel in Death Penalty Cases.

DONALD J. ZELENKA is currently Deputy Attorney General of the Criminal Division. He was the former Chief of Capital and Collateral Litigation in the South Carolina Attorney General's Office in Columbia, South Carolina. He is a graduate of The Ohio State University (1974) with a B.A. in Economics and the University of South Carolina School Of Law (1977) with a J.D. degree. Mr. Zelenka has been with the Attorney General's Office since 1979. In 2006, he received the Association of Government Attorneys Award for "Excellence in Appellate Advocacy." In 2007, he received the Ernest F. Hollings Award for Excellence in State Prosecution. In 2011, he received the Attorney General's Excellence Award, South Carolina Attorney General's Office. Mr. Zelenka is also a frequent lecturer on appellate practice in state and national courses. Mr. Zelenka is also a  Special Assistant United States Attorney. 

He currently supervises the state's prosecution of all criminal appeals, state post-conviction relief proceedings, federal habeas corpus actions and capital litigation, as well as criminal prosecutions handled by the Attorney General's Office. Mr. Zelenka has personally orally argued six (6) cases before the United States Supreme Court, over one-hundred (100) cases in the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, including ten (10) en banc arguments, and numerous cases in the state appellate courts of South Carolina. He has also prosecuted murder and felony cases in the trial courts of his state.

He was a contributing chapter author of The Appellate Prosecutor: A Practical and Inspirational Guide to Appellate Advocacy, edited by Ronald H. Clark (2005 Trafford Press). He co-authored with Robert F. Daley, Jr., Making the System Fair and Prompt: Recent Changes in Death Penalty Law, Post Conviction Relief and Federal Habeas Corpus, South Carolina Lawyer, July/August 1997. He also authored "Protecting the Record For Your Capital Case: Keeping the Eye on the Ball - It's Only The Beginning," The  Practical Prosecutor Magazine,  p. 30-39. (2006 - National College of District Attorneys). He was a co-author of South Carolina Appellate Practice (S.C. Bar 1985) (co-author).

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
National District Attorneys Association National  Advocacy Center, Columbia, S.C. - Faculty -  Appellate Advocacy Course, Instructor and Featured Presenter; 1999-2007;  Prosecutor's Bootcamp Course, Faculty - November 2001. Regularly at the South Carolina Solicitor's Association Annual Meetings. Numerous South Carolina Bar and Richland Bar Association C.L.E. programs on Criminal Law and Ethics. Adjunct Clinical Instructor - U.S.C. School of Law 1981-1983.  Frequent presenter at Association of Government Lawyers in Capital Litigation Meetings. New York Prosecutors Training Institute, Featured Speaker - Capital Cases in the United States Supreme Court. February 2002. National Attorney Generals NAGTRI Appellate Advocacy - May 2016   

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES: 
South Carolina Bar Association: Criminal Law Section (former Council Member); 
Association of Government Attorneys in Capital Litigation Board of Directors (1985-present).
Virginia State Bar since 1979.
American Bar Association; Government and Public Sector Lawyers Division; Criminal Justice Division, Prosecution Function Comm., Appellate and Habeas Practice  Committee. 

PERSONAL ACTIVITIES
Married - Leslie Zelenka  (1975)
Union United Methodist Church
Rotary Club of St. Andrews-Columbia - President (2017-18)
The Ohio State University Alumni Club  of Columbia, S.C.
The Ohio State University Alumni Band  
 

The Honorable John D. Geathers currently serves on the South Carolina Court of Appeals as an Associate Judge.  He was elected to his current position on May 21, 2008, to fill the unexpired term of John W. Kittredge, who was elected to the South Carolina Supreme Court.  Prior to his election to the Court of Appeals, he served for thirteen years as an Administrative Law Judge with the South Carolina Administrative Law Court.  He is a member of both the South Carolina and North Carolina Bar. 

John Cannon Few was born in Anderson, South Carolina. He grew up in Greenwood, and graduated from Greenwood High School in 1981. He attended college at Duke University, where he served as Duke's athletic mascot - the Blue Devil - during his junior year. John graduated from Duke in 1985 with an A.B. in English and Economics.

John went on to attend the University of South Carolina School of Law, where he was a member of The Order of Wig and Robe and The Order of the Coif. He also served as Student Works Editor of the South Carolina Law Review. He received his Juris Doctor degree in 1988.

John began his legal career as law clerk to the late Honorable G. Ross Anderson Jr., United States District Judge. He practiced law in Greenville from 1989 until 2000, and is admitted to practice in South Carolina, the United States District Court for the District of South Carolina, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, and the Supreme Court of the United States. John served as a trial judge on the Circuit Court of South Carolina from July 2000 until February 2010. He then became the Chief Judge of the South Carolina Court of Appeals, a position he held until February 2016. John was sworn in as a Justice on the Supreme Court of South Carolina on February 9, 2016.

John is a frequent public speaker. In 1996, he gave a speech entitled "Citizen Participation in the Legal System," for which he was awarded first place in the American Bar Association's nationwide Edward R. Finch Law Day speech contest. Since then he has given numerous speeches to bar associations and civic groups throughout the country. In December 2012, he delivered the commencement speech, entitled "What it Means to be a Lawyer," to the graduates of the Charleston School of Law. In April 2016, he delivered the commencement speech to Lander University. He has given a speech entitled "The Courage of a Lawyer" to lawyers' groups in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Arizona, and California. John wrote an article based on the speech that appeared under the same name in the Winter 2013 edition of the ABA's "Litigation" journal.

John has also been active in teaching law. He served on the faculty at the National Judicial College in Reno, Nevada, from 2005 to 2009. He was an Adjunct Professor of Law and later a Distinguished Visiting Professor at the Charleston School of Law from 2008 to 2012. John is now an Adjunct Professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law. He has also given or moderated hundreds of continuing legal education seminars in South Carolina and numerous other states.

John is a Fellow in Liberty Fellowship, and as a part of Liberty Fellowship is a member of the moderator corps at The Aspen Institute. John completed the Diversity Leaders Initiative through The Riley Institute at Furman University in 2010. In December 2012, the Charleston School of Law awarded him an honorary Doctor of Laws degree.

John has always been active in community service, even outside of his primary employment in public service. Before becoming a judge, for example, he read to pre-school children on a weekly basis for years in the Greenville Head Start program, tutored middle-school children through Save our Sons, taught middle and high school classes as part of the Junior Achievement program, and served on the board of Friends of the Reedy River. While he was a circuit judge, John served on the 2003-04 Governor's Water Law Review Committee. John now chairs the South Carolina Access to Justice Commission.

John has three children. His daughter Reed is a 2012 graduate of Duke University with a B.S. in Economics. Reed works for ConcertAI, a platform technology company focused on applications of artificial intelligence to oncology. She is married to Eric Pangraze, and they live in Durham with John's grandson Milo Riser Pangraze. John's daughter Anna is a 2016 graduate of Clemson University Honors College with a B.S. in Nursing. Anna lives in Flagstaff where she works as a registered nurse. His son Cannon is a 2020 graduate of Boston College with an A.B. in English. Cannon is a recording artist performing under the name "Cannon." He lives in Brooklyn, New York. John is the son of retired trial lawyer J. Kendall Few, formerly of Greenville now of Indianland, and retired real estate agent Belva Beasley Few of Greenwood.

After graduating Furman University and Charleston School of Law, John went to work for the Charleston Public Defender's Office. As the Director of Training for the Charleston and Berkeley County offices, he prepares public defenders for work in the courtroom through case law updates and training sessions around the State in coordination with SCCID.     

EDUCATION:
B.A. (Political Science and Psychology), The University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina (2008).
J.D. Magna Cum Laude, Charleston School of Law, Charleston, South Carolina (2011).

BAR ADMISSIONS:
South Carolina (2011); North Carolina (2012); United States District Court for the District of South Carolina; and Supreme Court of the United States.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:
Law Clerk to the Honorable Eugene C. Griffith, Jr., South Carolina Judicial Branch (2011 – 2012); South Carolina Office of the Attorney General, Columbia, South Carolina: Assistant Attorney General (Post-Conviction Relief Section, 2012 – 2014), Assistant Attorney General (Criminal Appeals Section, 2014 – 2017), and Senior Assistant Deputy Attorney General (Post-Conviction Relief Section, 2017 – 2023); Litigation Associate at Crowe LaFave Garfield & Bagley, Columbia, South Carolina (2023); and Legislative Counsel, South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination, Columbia, South Carolina (2023 – Present).

HONORS:
Recipient of the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Star Employee Award (2018); Recipient of the State of South Carolina Decade of Service Award (2021); and Graduate of the South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Leadership Development Program – Inaugural Class (2022).

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:
South Carolina Bar Criminal Practice CLE presenter; South Carolina Solicitors’ Conference presenter.

PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Member, South Carolina Bar Trial and Appellate Advocacy Section; Member, South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Appellate Review Team (2017-2023); Member, South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Information Technology Steering Committee (2020-2023); and Member, South Carolina Office of the Attorney General Accountability Committee (2021-2023).

EDUCATION:

B.A. (Government), Wofford College, Spartanburg, South Carolina (1989).

J.D., University of South Carolina School of Law, Columbia, South Carolina (1997). 

BAR ADMISSIONS:

South Carolina (November 1997); United States District Court, District of South Carolina (June 2002); United States Court of Appeals, Fourth Circuit (February 2003); and Supreme Court of the United States (February 2007). 

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE:

South Carolina Office of Appellate Defense (now South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense, Division of Appellate Defense) (1997 – 2000); Office of the Attorney General, State of South Carolina (2000 – Present); and NAAG, Supreme Court Fellow, 2009 Term (January 2010 – April 2010).   

HONORS:

Ernest F. Hollings Award for Excellence in State Prosecution (2018);

Office of the Attorney General, Award of Excellence (2018). 

TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

Course Planner/Moderator, Time with Experts: (Part 1) Preparation, Limitations, and Scope of Admissibility, (Part 2) Mental Health Experts, Reports and Admissibility Issues, South Carolina Bar Convention, Criminal Law Section Seminar (2020); South Carolina Solicitors Association Annual Conference (2019) (“Will Your Conviction Survive”); South Carolina Solicitors Association (2018) (Will Your Convictions Survive? What the Appellate Courts are Looking At”); South Carolina Commission on Prosecution Coordination, Capital Litigation; Advance Training (2010) (Issues and Practices in Penalty Phase), (2013) (Capital Cases in the Supreme Court of the United States); Non-capital seminars (2002, 2003) (Appellate Practice); South Carolina Judicial Conference (2012); South Carolina Solicitors Association Fall Conference (2011); South Carolina Office of the Attorney General, CLE (2008) (Capital Litigation Guilt Phase Instructions), 2009 (Federal Habeas 101); South Carolina Judicial Department CLE (2004) (Recurring Issues in Criminal Cases); University of South Carolina School of Law, Teaching Assistant (1996 – 1997); Guest Judge, Legal Writing and Research (Spring 2006). 

CURRENT PROFESSIONAL ACTIVITIES:

South Carolina Bar Criminal Law Section Council, Chair, 2019-20;Member, 2020-21

Office of the Attorney General, State of South Carolina, CLE Committee Member.

Robert Dudek is the Chief Appellate Defender for the Office of Appellate Defense, a Division of the South Carolina Commission on Indigent Defense. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina School of Journalism, and the University of South Carolina School of Law.

Ryan received a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology, Pre-Professional from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, as well as two minors in English and Chemistry. He is currently pursuing a Master’s of Science degree in Biological Sciences from Clemson University in Greenville, SC. He has been employed at SLED for approximately 5 years as a Forensic Scientist in the DNA Casework Department, and have been an active member of the validation team, to include the STRmix™ software program. He testifies as an expert witness in court when appropriate, and have testified using STRmix™ on multiple occasions within the State of South Carolina.

Solicitor Scarlett A. Wilson was confirmed by the South Carolina State Senate on August 3, 2007, to become the first woman to hold the office of Solicitor for the Ninth Judicial Circuit. The citizens of Berkeley and Charleston Counties elected Solicitor Wilson to hold the position in 2008, and re-elected her in 2012 and 2016 and again in 2020. Governors Sanford, Haley and McMaster each have appointed Solicitor Wilson to serve as a Commissioner on the South Carolina Commission for Prosecution Coordination. In addition, Governors Haley and McMaster appointed Solicitor Wilson to serve as a member of the State Child Fatality Advisory Committee. Solicitor Wilson is known as a tough but compassionate prosecutor, having won the Law Enforcement Victim's Advocate Solicitor of the Year Award and the South Carolina Victim Assistance Network's Criminal Justice Award for Outstanding Service to Victims. Solicitor Wilson has played an integral role in the implementation of Charleston County's Safety & Justice Challenge grant awarded by the John D. and Catherine MacArthur Foundation. The goal of the grant was to keep dangerous people behind bars and to provide law enforcement and the court more options when dealing with lower-risk, non-violent offenders. Work begun by the grant is on going and shepherded by Solicitor Wilson and other members of the Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council.
Solicitor Wilson has been a career prosecutor. After graduating from Clemson University in 1989 and the University of South Carolina School of Law in 1992, she was a law clerk for the Honorable Don S. Rushing. Solicitor Wilson began her career in prosecution working as a Fifth Circuit Assistant Solicitor. She next joined the United States Attorney's Office and its Violent Crimes Task Force as an Assistant United States Attorney where she was a joint winner of the Department of Justice Director's Award for Superior Performance, the highest award given by the Department of Justice to an AUSA. In January 2001, Scarlett left the United States Attorney's Office to serve as Chief Deputy Solicitor for then Solicitor Ralph E. Hoisington. She served as Chief Deputy until her appointment to Solicitor after Solicitor Hoisington's death.
Solicitor Wilson is a native of Hemingway, South Carolina.
 

Stephanie J. Smart-Gittings is a native of Allendale, South Carolina. Her educational milestones include:  1987 Honor graduate of Allendale-Fairfax High School; she attended Palmetto Girls State; she holds a Bachelor's Degree in Sociology from USC-Aiken which she received in 1991; and she holds a Juris Doctor Degree from North Carolina Central University School of Law which she received in 1997. She was admitted to the South Carolina Bar and continues to practice law in South Carolina's 14th Judicial Circuit.

Her service to the State of South Carolina and her community included: a Legislative Aide to Representative Wilbur L. Cave during the 1997 Legislative Session in the South Carolina House of Representatives, appointment to the South Carolina State Board of Education where she chaired the Finance and Legislative Committee and Teacher Recruitment Training and Certification Committee and service on the Hampton County First Steps Board.

Her professional career as an attorney began with her employment as Legal Counsel for South Carolina Department of Probation, Parole and Pardon Services in Columbia. Subsequently, she moved back to Allendale in 2000, where she was the Deputy Public Defender for Allendale, Hampton and Jasper Counties; in 2001 she served as An Assistant Public Defender in Beaufort County and returned to the Allendale, Hampton and Jasper office in 2009. In 2016 the S. C.  Commission on Indigent Defense appointed her to serve as the 14th Circuit Chief Public Defender.

She holds social memberships in the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. and the Order of the Easter Star and professional membership in the South Carolina Trial Lawyers Association and National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.
 

Bar Admissions:
South Carolina 1985

Professional Memberships/Certifications:
SC Bar, SCPDA-Treasurer, Former member of SVP Board

Practice Areas:
Appellate/Criminal Practice