Public Defender Heather Rogers is honored to give the closing plenary at the National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) 2023 Women's Virtual Conference, which will be held September 14 to 16, 2023. This event invites speakers who have been historically marginalized by age, gender, race, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, sexual identity, education, national origin, or any other distinguishing characteristic or trait. The goal of this event is to uplift marginalized perspectives within the public defense community. This gathering is for all individuals, in all job titles, and practitioners who work or support public defense: attorneys, paralegals, core staff, social workers, trainers, policy advocates, and more. We also encourage and invite law students to join us. NAPD is committed to creating an event in a safe space that brings inspiration and transformation to persons of all gender identities, and for this event, we will specifically amplify female, non-binary, and/or gender non-conforming voices in public defense.

In the closing plenary, titled “Diving Into the Wreck” after poet Adrienne Rich’s iconic poem, Ms. Rogers will reflect on the conference, remember the powerful role women have played in shaping public defense, and honor the weapons of spirit defenders harness to battle against injustice in all its forms.