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NAPD - Changemakers – The NAPD Learning Lab


Time: April 20-23, 2026
Location: Atlanta, GA

The National Association for Public Defense (NAPD) cordially invites innovators, leaders, visionaries, and policy professionals in public defense to join us for a bold and reimagined Strategic Leadership Forum — designed as a hands-on learning lab for the field. This is not a traditional conference. This is a working convening for people who are actively shaping — and must now reimagine — the future of public defense.

Across the country, public defense systems are facing unprecedented pressure. From funding cuts and threats to independence, to recruitment and retention crises, unsustainable workloads, immigration impacts, and long-term sustainability, the challenges before us require more than discussion — they require collective problem-solving, strategic planning, and courageous leadership.

This Forum creates intentional space for public defender leaders and emerging changemakers to think, build, and plan together — across jurisdictions, roles, and perspectives.

This learning lab is designed for:

  •      Public Defender Leaders and Executives
  •      Deputy and Managing Defenders
  •      Policy and Legislative Staff
  •      Innovators and Visionaries in Public Defense
  •      Supervisors, Training Directors, and System Builders
  •      Those preparing for future leadership roles
If you are responsible for navigating budgets, protecting office independence, addressing staffing crises, responding to immigration-related defense needs, managing workloads, or planning for long-term sustainability — this Forum was built for you.

If you are thinking about how to lead through uncertainty, protect your office, support your people, and design stronger systems for the future — you will not want to miss this event.