Speakers

Regina Goodwin was elected to serve in the Oklahoma House of Representatives, Tulsa, House District 73, in 2015. Guided by “The Power of We,” Rep. Goodwin fights for economic equity, criminal justice reform, health care and improving public education. She authored several bills now law, including HB 3393, which bans the shackling of pregnant incarcerated women during labor and delivery, and HB 2253, which clarifies voting rights for persons convicted of a felony. She has worked diligently on bills to mandate the use of body cams by police, revising the use of excessive force, banning jail time for fees and fines, and making hate crimes a felony.

Special Judge Donald Easter retired from the Oklahoma County bench June 30, 2018. During his ten years on the bench Judge Easter presided over the Rule 8 dockets and worked with other members of the Oklahoma Judiciary to develop a best practices program for collection of fine, fees and costs. While working as an Assistant District Attorney in the offices of Andy Coats and Bob Macy Judge Easter established the bad check program for Oklahoma County.

Senator Julie Daniels was first elected to the State Senate in 2016.  She is honored to represent the people of District 29, which includes Washington, Nowata and northern Rogers Counties.  Senator Daniels serves as Assistant Majority Whip of the Senate, and is chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee.  She also holds seats on the Appropriations Subcommittee for Public Safety and Judiciary, Energy, Health and Human Services, Rules and the Select Committee on Redistricting.  Prior to her election, Julie spent three decades in volunteer leadership in her adopted hometown of Bartlesville.  She currently serves on the boards of the Boys & Girls Club of Bartlesville, Arvest Bank Bartlesville, Bluestem Medical Foundation, and the Oklahoma Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs.  She is a member of the Oklahoma Bar Association.

Damion Shade joined Oklahoma Policy Institute in July 2018 as the criminal justice policy analyst. He grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, and has lived in Oklahoma since the late 90s. Prior to joining OK Policy, he was an educator at Jenks Public Schools and the Oklahoma School for the Performing Arts. He’s written education and justice features as a contributing writer for the Tulsa Voice since 2016, and he was awarded the best Education and General News Reporting features by the Society for Professional Journalists in 2017.

Judge Cindy Truong was elected to the Bench by the voters of Oklahoma County on November 2nd, 2010.  She is the District Judge of Office #7 of the Oklahoma County District Court.  Judge Truong was sworn into office and began presiding on January 15th, 2011.  Prior to taking the Bench, Judge Truong served the public as a Criminal Prosecutor in the Oklahoma County District Attorney’s office for 10 years.  She was responsible for the prosecution of cases that included Death Penalty Murder cases, rape, robbery and drug trafficking.  She has tried over 50 jury trials to a verdict.

Chris Kannady had an extensive military career as a respected litigator in complex cases. He is known as an expert in complicated and sensitive military courts and maintains a Top Secret/SCI security clearance. He currently serves as a staff judge advocate in the Air National Guard. He faithfully served as a United States Marine Corps Officer with duties as both a military prosecutor and defense attorney, where he litigates high-profile cases. Additionally, he previously served as the office in charge for one of the few Marine Corps extended legal assistance programs, where he handled a wide array of civil matters in state court proceedings.

Bob Ravitz is a 1976 graduate of the Oklahoma City University School of Law, and he currently serves as Public Defender of Oklahoma County, a position he assumed in 1987. Mr. Ravitz is also an adjunct professor at Oklahoma City University School of Law, teaching in the areas of trial practice, capital litigation, criminal procedure, and wrongful convictions.

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Tony Messenger is the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's metro columnist, a position he's held since September 2015. He was previously the editorial page editor at the Post-Dispatch and was hired at the paper in 2008 in the state capital bureau.

Loretta F. Radford is a 1984 graduate of the University of Oklahoma College of Law and has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from the University of Tulsa. She is admitted and licensed to practice law in the State of Oklahoma and is authorized to practice law in the federal courts located within the State of Oklahoma.