Our Board
Hon. Carey Snyder Hyatt (Ret.) --- President
Carey currently serves as a Family Law Special Master with the Padish Law Group, PLLC, where she specializes in mediation. Her extensive judicial career includes assignments in both Criminal and Civil Court, with a decade dedicated to Family Court, three of those years as the Presiding Family Court Judge.
Throughout her 20-year tenure as a judicial officer in Maricopa County, Carey presided over several Treatment Courts, including the Adult Drug Court, DUI Court, Domestic Violence Court, Comprehensive Mental Health Court, and the Family Drug Court. She has contributed to statewide judicial policy and reform through service on numerous committees, including the Committee on the Impact of Domestic Violence and the Courts, and the Arizona Association of Drug Court Professionals, where she served as President during the 2015–2016 term.
Carey earned her Juris Doctor from St. John's University School of Law in New York.
Peter C. Kiefer - Treasurer
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
Mike Manning
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.
Caitlin Moore
Caitlin is a strategic leader working at the nexus of technology, sustainability, and justice. With a foundation in criminal justice and a strong commitment to equity, she is the co-founder of Devonian, a technology company dedicated to enhancing data transparency and verifiability within the environmental and governance sectors.
Prior to her work in the tech industry, Caitlin played a pivotal role in sustainability and community engagement efforts. She collaborated with academic institutions and nonprofit organizations to advance environmental justice, influence policy development, and promote the responsible use of data. Her multidisciplinary experience includes policy research, advocacy, and the implementation of forward-thinking frameworks that integrate emerging technologies with meaningful social impact.
Ryan Bastman
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.
Hon. Roxanne Song Ong (Ret.)
Roxanne has dedicated over four decades to Arizona’s criminal justice system, achieving several historic firsts. She is recognized as the first Asian American woman attorney and the first Asian American woman judge in Arizona.
A Phoenix native, Roxanne began her legal career in criminal prosecution, defense, and immigration law. She was appointed to the Scottsdale City Court in 1986, marking the start of her distinguished judicial service. In 1991, she joined the Phoenix Municipal Court and was later named Assistant Presiding Judge in 2000. In 2005, she was appointed Chief Presiding Judge of the Phoenix Municipal Court—making her the first woman and first minority to serve in that role. She led one of the nation’s busiest courts in the fifth largest city in the United States until her retirement in late 2014.
Sarah Corcoran Gorin
Sarah received her law degree from the Arizona State University College of Law and has been a prosecutor for 25 years. She has handled preliminary hearings, trials, charging, asset forfeiture, initial appearance court, and probation cases. She has worked in probation courts for several years, including several problem-solving courts. Although skeptical at first of these specialty courts, Sarah has become a vocal supporter. She believes the courts are one of the most effective approaches to reducing recidivism and rehabilitating defendants, who often are dealing with drug abuse, mental health issues, and past trauma. Sarah is excited to join the Board of Friends of the Court in its support of Problem Solving Courts.
R. J. Parker
“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.
Hon. Harriet Chavez Benedict (Ret.)
Harriet is a retired Superior Court Judge with a distinguished career in Arizona’s judicial and legal community. She served as the Presiding Judge of the Northwest/Family Court Division of the Maricopa County Superior Court until her retirement in 2014.
A 1978 graduate of the University of Arizona College of Law, Harriet began her legal career as a City Prosecutor for the Cities of Mesa and Phoenix, later serving as a Deputy Maricopa County Attorney and Assistant Attorney General. From 1989 to 1991, she served on the City of Phoenix Bench as a City Magistrate. She was appointed as a Maricopa County Superior Court Commissioner in 1991, a role she held until her appointment to the Superior Court Bench in 2003.
Since retiring in 2014, Harriet has continued to serve the legal community as a Judge Pro Tempore for the Glendale Municipal Court. She also remains active in civic and professional organizations, currently serving on the Board of Directors for the Paseo Hermosa Homeowners Association and Young Catholic Professionals. She is an engaged member of the Arizona Women Lawyers Association, where she continues to advocate for the advancement of women in the legal field.
J. Blake Mayes
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. .
Paula Krasselt
Paula serves as the primary point of contact between Mercy Care and the justice system. In her role as Interagency Liaison, she coordinates with the Arizona Department of Corrections (ADOC), County Jails, Sheriff's Offices, Correctional Health Services, the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC), the Arizona Office of the Courts (AOC), and various Probation and Parole Departments. She oversees Mercy Care’s justice system "reach-in" initiatives and leads the agency’s Justice Team to support continuity of care and coordination across systems.
Before assuming her current role, Paula held leadership positions focused on clinical oversight and program development. She provided clinical supervision for both licensed and unlicensed staff at Corazon Integrated Health Care Services, and served as a clinical supervisor for Maricopa County Adult Probation, managing clinical operations and supporting rehabilitative services for justice-involved individuals.
Mark Stodola
Mark brings over 30 years of experience working in the field of court management and adult probation in Arizona. He worked at the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department for 18 years serving in a number of capacities including division director overseeing drug and alcohol treatment programs, problem solving courts and services for the mentally ill. Mark later became the Court Administrator of the Tempe Municipal Court where he served for eight years managing the day to day activities of the court. Most recently Mark served as Program Services Manager in the Adult Probation Services Division of the Arizona Supreme Court where he oversaw treatment programs for Arizona’s Adult Probation Departments. Mark has presented training on topics surrounding high risk drunk drivers at national, regional and state throughout the country. He is an adjunct instructor at Arizona State University. He received his undergraduate degree in History from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his Master’s Degree in Education from Northern Arizona University. Mark became a Graduate Fellow through the National Council of State Courts Institute of Court Management.
Marla Knox
Marla has worked as a licensed stenographer in various capacities since 1994. Early in her career and while in Chicago, she worked at the Richard J. Daley Courthouse where she was assigned to the office of the Honorable Richard J. Elrod. Along with her court related experience, Marla became proficient in providing real-time CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) and added working with numerous hearing-impaired students at DePaul, Loyola and Northwestern University and Cochlear Limited as a way to provide additional services to that community.
Since leaving Chicago and moving West, Marla worked for Caption Colorado providing real-time captioning for live TV shows then joined Maricopa County Superior Court in 2013. She was elevated as a lead court reporter who provided training and assistance to her colleagues and served in the role of liaison with the department and court administration. During this time she was responsible for numerous quality control improvements and created several program enhancements that continue in operation today.
Marla has also been a private business owner and served the health and wellness industry. Her commitment to the community extends to school organizations and she was an active member of the Phoenix Junior League before splitting her time between Phoenix and San Francisco.
Most recently Marla’s career now includes working at the Northern District of California as a United States Official Federal Court Reporter. She is working alongside Charles Breyer, William Alsup and William Orrick. She was recently chosen to serve on a committee charged with the goal of reviewing technology applications available to establish remote access to each courtroom in the Northern District of California.
Colin Campbell - Board Member Emeritus
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.
David Tierney - Board Member Emeritus
David is a 1965 graduate of Harvard Law School and has been a commercial litigator listed for many years in The Best Lawyers in America and Southwest Superlawyers. He practices law at the Sacks Tierney law firm and serves as a mediator and arbitrator in commercial and construction law disputes.