In an effort to better represent the diversity in practice and geography of the membership, the IPDC Board of Directors voted in 2020 to modify the make-up of the board. The following rules apply to the Board make-up:
- County Representation: No more than 4 members from any one county may serve on the Board at the same time.
- Term: No member on the Board may serve more than 3 consecutive terms (6 years). After 6 years, a person would have to set out a term (2 years) before running again
The term expiration listed below reflects only the expiration date of the Board member's current term.
Board Member and Board Position | Member Bio | Email Address | Phone | Current Term Expires | County | Term |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Jeremy P. Gooch is a 2001 graduate of the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law. In August 2002, Jeremy joined the law firm of HINKLE & GIBBS in Danville, Indiana. Over the course of the next 15 ½ years, Jeremy spent his time working for the citizens of Hendricks County as a private attorney handling criminal law matters. Additionally, Jeremy provided public defender services to the indigent accused throughout the Hendricks County Courts. For a number of these years, he served as the main public defender for the Honorable Mark A. Smith in Hendricks Superior Court No. 4. In this role, Jeremy served as the sole public defender for the Hendricks County Drug Court from its inception to June 2017. In June 2017, the Hendricks County Commissioners hired Jeremy to become Hendricks County’s first Chief Public Defender, with the goal of creating a new system of providing indigent defense services to those in need. With immense support and assistance, he now heads the Hendricks County Public Defenders Office. Additionally, Jeremy maintains a partial caseload, continuing his work for the indigent accused. Jeremy and his wife, Danyel, reside in Brownsburg with their son, Curtis, and an impossibly stubborn basset hound, Henry. | jgooch@co.hendricks.in.us | 317.718.6130 | June 2026 | Hendricks | 2nd | |
Denise L. Turner graduated from the George Washington University Law School in 2010 and began her law career as a public defender in Marion County. For six years, she worked tirelessly fighting for the indigent and their rights. Now in private practice, she works just as tirelessly, but as a part-time public defender in Lawrence County, and also as indigent appellate counsel in Shelby County. In addition to her service in state court, she is also a member of the federal CJA panel, accepting indigent appointments to those charged with federal crimes. Because of her diverse practice and background, she is a valuable asset to the Board. For the past 11 years, she has worked hard for her clients and feel that it is now time also to support her fellow public servants as well. She is a firm believer in collaborative environments, learning from others, and utilizing the strengths of those around her, as well as her own, to achieve the best outcome for her clients. | denise@dturnerlegal.com | 317.721.4783 | June 2025 | Lawrence | 2nd | |
| Amy Karozos was appointed State Public Defender in January 2020. Previously, she worked with IPDC as project director for an OJJDP grant to improve Indiana’s juvenile indigent defense services. She has also served as a contract public defender in Marion County juvenile court, as the Marion County Public Defender, Appellate Division, and as a staff attorney with Youth Law T.E.A.M. of Indiana, a not-for-profit agency. She started her career as a deputy public defender at the State Public Defender’s Office. | akarozos@pdo.in.gov | 317.232.2475 |
Permanent member see I.C. 33-40-4-3 | |||
Michael Ausbrook | Michael Ausbrook teaches a federal habeas litigation clinic at the Maurer School of Law in Bloomington. He is also the faculty advisor for the Incarcerated Individuals Legal Assistance Project (ILAP), a student organization that answers letters from Indiana prisoners with various questions. He has been contract counsel for the Indiana Public Defender and the Appellate Division of the Marion County Public Defender Agency. He started his career as a law clerk to the Honorable Frank Sullivan, Jr., Associate Justice of the Indiana Supreme Court, and, thereafter, as a deputy attorney general in the Appeals Division of the Office of the Indiana Attorney General. | 812.322.3218 | June 2025 | Statewide | 1st | |
Talisha Griffin | Talisha Griffin is a public defender with the Marion County Public Defender Agency. Talisha has been with the Agency since graduating from law school in 2017 and has worked as a trial and appellate attorney. Currently, Talisha is the Appellate Division Assistant Chief. She has argued before the Indiana Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. Talisha is dedicated to representing individuals who cannot afford legal representation at the state and federal level and has successfully worked to free several individuals serving federal life sentences. Talisha is also an Adjunct Professor for IU McKinney School of Law and a member of the Appellate Executive Committee for IndyBar. | Talisha.griffin@indy.gov | 317.327.4477 | June 2025 | Marion | 1st |
Courtney Benson-Kooy is a 2012 graduate of IU McKinney School of Law. Courtney has worked as a full-time public defender at the Marion County Public Defender’s office for the entirety of her career and currently works as an assistant supervisor of their major felony division. Her passion lies with helping and representing clients with serious mental health concerns and juveniles charged in adult courts. She will begin as an adjunct professor co-teaching the Criminal Defense Clinic at IU McKinney in the fall of 2023. In addition to serving as a member of the IPDC Board, she is also a board member of the IndyBar Criminal Justice Section. | courtney.benson-kooy@indy.gov | 317.327.3994 | June 2025 | Marion | 1st | |
Stephanie Kress is a 2009 graduate of the IU School of Law in Indianapolis and is currently an attorney at Rolfes, Garvey, Walker, & Robbins in Greensburg, Decatur County, IN. Since 2011, she has served as a public defender. Since 2014, her focus has been providing indigent defense and advocacy for parents involved in CHINS and TPR matters in Decatur and surrounding counties. She is the 2021 Gideon Award recipient. Stephanie has been a presenter for IPDC on the topic of client communication. She has been fortunate to receive numerous scholarships from IPDC, including a scholarship to attend the ABA’s Center on Children and the Law Conference in Virginia in 2022. Outside of practicing law, Stephanie is an active member of her community in Greensburg and a devoted (and busy) wife and mom of three amazing children. | stephanie.kress@gmail.com | 812-663-4441 | June 2025 | Decatur | 1st | |
Renee Ortega has been a Lake County Juvenile Court public defender since 2014. She also represents clients in CHINS, Delinquency, and Termination appeals. Additionally, she works to serve the indigent population through Hammond Legal Aid. Currently, Renee serves as the At-Large Representative for the ISBA Board of Governors and is on the Lake County Bar Association's board of managers. | renee.roklegalgroup@gmail.com | 219.661.7703 | June 2026 | Lake | 2nd | |
| Joel Schumm is a clinical professor of law at the IU McKinney School of Law where he teaches a variety of courses and directs the Appellate Clinic. For the past twenty years, he has also served as a contractual appellate public defender in Marion County and occasionally litigated appeals from other counties. Joel is the author of the IPDC Appellate Practice Manual, several IPDC amicus briefs, and task force reports on criminal justice issues for the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers | JoelSchumm@aol.com | 317.278.4733 | June 2026 | Marion | 3rd | |
Kendal Gulbrandsen | Kendal Gulbrandsen is the Misdemeanor Supervisor at the Marion County Public Defender Agency. He has 13 years of experience representing clients with misdemeanors and major felonies. His passion for criminal defense began in law school, and he joined the MCPDA immediately after graduation. Kendal's commitment extends statewide. He teaches CLEs, collaborates with public defenders across counties, and advocates for the profession before legislators. | Kendal.Gulbrandsen@indy.gov | (317) 327-3193 | June 2026 | Marion | 1st |
| A 2017 law graduate, Michael Cunningham has dedicated his career to criminal defense. Michael began his practice in Southeast Indiana before relocating to Indianapolis. Michael has litigated suppression hearings, motions to dismiss, and earned acquittals, including overturning a 12-count sex crimes case. He has handled around 20 criminal appeals, argued before appeals courts, and successfully overturned precedent regarding police reports. Appointed in Capital and LWOP cases, Michael has lobbied for bail rights and published on the topic. As a bar association leader, he aims to improve criminal defense and address challenges like the rural lawyer shortage. | mike@criminaldefenseteam.com | 317-736-0053 | June 2026 | Johnson | 1st |
