About Us

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 Carey received her law degree from St. John’s University in New York. During her 20years as a judicial officer, Carey presided over several of Maricopa County’s Problem Solving Courts, including the Adult Drug Court, DUI Court, Domestic Violence Court, Comprehensive Mental Health Court, and the Family Drug Court.  She has also served on several state-wide committees during her career, includingthe Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts and the Az Association of Drug Court Professionals, to which she served as President for the 2015-2016 term. 

 Robin is a faculty associate at Arizona State University in the School of Social Work and a Board member of the Az Association of Drug Court Professionals. She has helped create many of the problem-solving courts currently in practice at the Maricopa County Superior Court including the Spanish language DUI Court, Veterans Court, the Juvenile Transferred Offender Court (JTOP), and the Family Treatment Court. Robin is a licensed counselor and has worked in the court system for 30 years. 

Peter has over 40 years of experience working with trial courts in Oregon, Arizona, and California. He has consulted with the judicial systems in Liberia, Moldova, and Beirut, Lebanon.  Peter graduated from Santa Clara University with his bachelor’s degree in Political Science, received his Master’s of Public Administration with a specialty in Court Administration from the University of Southern California, and is a Fellow of the Institute for Court Management. He is a recipient of the NACM Award of Merit. He currently hosts the Court Leader’s Advantage Podcast in cooperation with NACM 

A 1977 graduate of Washburn University Law School, Mike is a commercial litigator listed for many years in The Best Lawyers in America and Southwest Superlawyers. He practices law at the Stinson Morrison Hecker law firm in the areas of:  Antitrust; Business Litigation; and Governance, Risk, and Compliance. 

 Sherry Stephens retired from the Maricopa County Superior Court bench where she served from 2001 through 2021.  She served on the Criminal Department, the Civil Department, the Juvenile Department, Family Department, and as a special assignment judge.  Prior to that she was with the Arizona Attorney General's Office, serving under five attorneys general. She worked as the Chief Counsel for the Organized Crime and Racketeering Section for twelve years. She also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney on several cases.

Sherry was on the Arizona Prosecuting Attorneys Advisory Council. She received her JD in 1980 from the Arizona State University College of Law. She graduated from Arizona State University magna cum laude with a degree in Criminal Justice in 1977.

As a judge she participated in various professional committees, intern/extern programs, Veteran Stand Down, Adoption Day, and student moot court programs. Arizona Attorney General, Prosecutor of the Year, 2001. Volunteer Lawyer Program Public Attorney of the Year 2000. Arizona State University College of Law Outstanding Alumna 1998. State Bar of Arizona Distinguished Public Lawyer 1997.

Ryan is the Director of Purchasing and Facilities for the Southwest Network of

Phoenix, a non-profit corporation. Southwest has 14 adult and child behavioral health

clinics and is the largest provider-network organization.  Ryan has a degree in hotel

management and has worked in sales and HR positions, particularly regarding

recruitment, branding and advertising.

 Roxanne has served the Arizona criminal justice system for nearly 40 years, breaking new ground as the first Asian American woman lawyer and the first Asian woman judge in Arizona. A Phoenix native, Judge Song Ong began her career practicing in the areas of criminal prosecution, defense, and immigration law, followed by her judicial career beginning in 1986 on the Scottsdale City Court. In 1991, she became a judge for the Phoenix Municipal Court and in 2000 became the Assistant Presiding Judge. In 2005 she was appointed as the Chief Presiding Judge of Phoenix, the fifth largest city in the United States, running one of the busiest courts in the country until her retirement from the court in late 2014. Judge Song Ong became the first woman and minority to hold the chief judge position.  Roxanne has served the Arizona criminal justice system for nearly 40 years, breaking new ground  

 Kindra obtained her undergraduate degree in political science from the University of Minnesota and her juris doctorate from Western Michigan University. She moved to Arizona in 2009 where she started her legal career as an intern at the Arizona Justice Project. Upon admission to the bar, Kindra went to work for the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office where she handled felony criminal cases. In 2013, Kindra returned to the Arizona Justice Project as the Staff Attorney, managing federal grants and investigating post-conviction innocence cases and cases where a manifest injustice occurred. She returned to indigent criminal defense work in 2019 and currently works at the Office of the Legal Advocate as a felony-trial attorney. 

Angela is a criminal defense attorney in the Specialty Court Unit of the Maricopa

County Office of the Public Defender.  She represents clients in the Juvenile

Transfer Offender Program and Veterans Court.  Angela has a bachelor’s degree in

Molecular Cellular Biology and a law degree from the University of Arizona.  She co-

founded the Coconino County chapter of Girls on the Run in 2007 and has worked

with youth involved in the criminal justice system for the past 12 years.

“RJ Parker is currently assigned to the Capital Unit of the Maricopa County Public Defender’s Office, where he has worked as lead counsel on death-penalty  cases since 2014. Prior to this assignment, he worked in the trial division representing clients in hundreds of major felony cases. He has presented at numerous seminars on issues pertaining to all stages of the criminal process, and regularly works with trial  attorneys on developing trial advocacy skills. RJ has previously worked with organizations that focus on conflict resolution and international criminal law.

Amanda served as a public defender in Colorado for several years before returning to Phoenix. She continues to be involved in The Justice Project. She is passionate about helping those in Treatment Courts, has experience with non-profit boards. 

Blake is a Founding Partner of Mayes Telles PLLC who represents clients in criminal defense and personal injury matters across Arizona. A Phoenix native, Mayes chose to pursue the practice of law to help provide a voice to people who may not be in a position to help themselves, and has become known throughout the local and legal communities for his client-focused approach and unwavering commitment to advocacy. Over the course of his career, Mayes has helped numerous clients protect their rights, freedoms, and futures in a range of complex and high-stakes cases. That includes personal injury cases where plaintiffs must fight back against powerful insurance companies that so often prioritize profits over people, and criminal proceedings where overzealous prosecutors too often lump defendants together and employ a one-size-fits-all approach for doling out the harshest punishment possible. .

 A graduate of the University of Arizona Law School in 1977, Colin served 17 yearson the Maricopa County Superior Court, some of those as the presiding judge.  He practices law at the Osborn Maledon law firm and his practice areas are: commercial litigation; criminal defense; and alternative dispute resolution.  He isChairman of the Board.