Armen Adzhemyan is Senior Corporate Counsel on the Litigation Team of Delta’s Law Department, where he partners with internal stakeholders and outside counsel to represent Delta in litigation. Armen also supports Delta’s Corporate Safety, Security, and Compliance Department. He is involved in all major safety investigations, supports Delta crews in criminal cases against unruly passengers, and advises Corporate Security matters on customer misconduct and regulatory compliance issues on a daily basis. Prior to Delta, Armen served as a civil Assistant United States Attorney in Atlanta, where he partnered with various DOJ partners and numerous law enforcement agencies to investigate allegations of fraud, waste, and abuse of federal programs. The matters investigated and litigated by him have resulted in nearly $1.5 billion in recovery for taxpayers. Before joining DOJ, Armen was a litigation associate at the Los Angeles office of Gibson Dunn, practicing in the Antitrust and Transnational Litigation practice groups. Armen is a member of the Delta Law Department’s Pro Bono, Internship, and Office Technology Committees. Armen received his B.A. in Psychology and History from UCLA and his law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law. Armen lives in Atlanta with his wife, two children, and rescue dog. He enjoys irreverent movie and television quotes.

With 20 years experience in the wealth management / financial planning fields, Kenny is Managing Partner at Baer Wealth Management. In 2017, he published the e-book "One Shot." Kenny relishes spending time with his wife Molly and his children, golfing with his father and brother, playing tennis, and enjoying life to the fullest.

Laury received both his undergraduate BS in Social Welfare and his Master of Counseling degrees at Georgia State University. From there he went on to enjoy three quite different careers. First, as a social worker in the Jewish Community Center Movement he worked with both adults and teens in various positions. Secondly, he ran the wire chopping division and was later Human Resources Director for a large, scrap metal recycling plant. His final career was as an independent home remodeling contractor. These experiences allowed him to use his love of community, ability to work with people and creativity in various ways. Laury has always been an active community volunteer. Since retiring, his favorite activities have been serving as a volunteer companion for a gentleman during the last years, 98 to 102, of his life. He also teaches and mentors middle school students in a carpentry and life skills class. Laury spends several hours a week involved in a school feeding program and helping deliver food to a food pantry. He serves on the Dean’s Advisory Council of Georgia State University, Andrew Young School of Policy Studies.

Kenneth is the Chief People Officer for WABE, in Atlanta, GA which is the home of the NPR and PBS broadcast stations WABE 90.1FM and WABE-TV. Kenneth oversees workforce planning & employment, recruiting, compensation & benefits, payroll, employee relations, risk management, and facilities among others, and is part of the senior leadership team at PBA. ** Kenneth is a member of SHRM (Society for Human Resources Management), SHRM-Atlanta, PMBA (Public Media Business Association) where he serves on the PMBA Board and was most recently Chair of the Professional Development Committee. He also serves on the Board of Integrity Transformations Community Development Corporation (ITCDC). ** Kenneth holds a bachelor's degree from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master’s in Industrial Organizational Psychology from Louisiana Tech University. Centered by family, he and his wife Cynthia are the proud parents of Kristopher and Kyle.

Susan Clare is a Partner in King & Spalding's Atlanta office and a member of the firm's Trial and Global Disputes Practice. Susan represents clients in high-exposure class action, mass tort, and other complex litigation. Prior to joining the Board, Susan worked with Georgia Innocence Project as pro bono counsel since 2018, including in securing the exoneration of Dennis Perry.

Hayden is a public interest lawyer focused on protecting consumers’ right to privacy and holding big tech companies accountable for harms caused by addictive design. He is also the founder of the Accurate Justice Project, an organization that works with police, prosecutors, and innocence organizations around the country to use oft-overlooked evidence in law enforcement forensic databases to identify wrongful convictions and solve cold cases. Hayden previously served as Georgia Innocence Project’s first Head of Public Policy, where, among other things, he crafted legislation providing compensation to exonerees and improving the storage of forensic evidence. He joined GIP’s board in July 2024. He received his B.A. from Emory University and his J.D., cum laude, from Harvard Law School. In law school, he led the Harvard Prison Legal Assistance Project, which provides representation to Massachusetts prisoners in parole and prison disciplinary proceedings.

Alan Essig is currently a policy consultant working with non-profits, foundations, advocacy organizations, and political campaigns. Alan previously served as Executive Director of the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, Executive Director of the Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, Deputy Policy Director in Georgia Office of the Governor, and Director of the Georgia State Senate Research Office. Alan received an MPA from Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy at the State University of New York at Albany and a BA in History from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

Melissa Fox is a partner at Eversheds Sutherland. A solutions-oriented advisor, she helps companies minimize risk and represents clients in class actions and commercial litigation. Melissa helps clients in emerging industries and those launching novel technologies navigate regulatory uncertainty and operate under evolving laws and regulations. She provides product and privacy counseling, assessing and mitigating comprehensive legal risk throughout a product’s life cycle. Melissa routinely advises on privacy, cybersecurity and artificial intelligence matters, and litigates disputes in these areas. She has significant experience counseling clients on advertising-related issues and litigating allegations of false advertising and unfair or deceptive trade practices. Melissa’s clients rely on her for precise, pragmatic and creative solutions. Her experience includes defending class action lawsuits, conducting internal investigations and representing clients in various state and local court proceedings. Melissa regularly defends technology companies, financial services companies, food and beverage manufacturers, gaming companies and educational institutions in complex litigation. As a member of Eversheds Sutherland’s Cannabis Industry team, Melissa counsels clients on the rapidly changing state and federal laws affecting this industry. She helps ancillary service providers assess risk and navigate the complex regulatory landscape to meet their business needs.

Lindsey Geihsler is Associate General Counsel at Koch, Inc., where she leads a team that provides legal counsel to Georgia-Pacific's large retail consumer products business, helping them navigate a wide array of legal and commercial issues. She is also a leader of Koch's Pro Bono Initiative, concentrating her efforts on criminal justice reform. Prior to joining Koch, Lindsey was an associate at Alston & Bird, practicing in the firm's Intellectual Property Litigation group. Lindsey received her J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law and her B.A. in Criminology with minors in English and Art History from the University of Florida. Lindsey lives in Roswell with her husband, Greg, and their four boys. She is a trivia buff, loves to travel, and is a diehard fan of the Florida Gators.

Matt Holbrook is the Director of Operations at Global Growers Network, an Atlanta-based nonprofit that partners with people from diverse cultures to grow fresh food for their families and for local marketplaces. He worked at Georgia Innocence Project for over six years and joined the board of directors in 2023. Matt received his bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of New Mexico in 2013. He is a board game enthusiast, sci-fi lover, and friend to cats.

With 40 years of experience in the Federal Government, Judith has held positions of responsibility and progressive leadership in her career as a communications professional in the fields of transportation, education, and employee relations. Through the years, she has garnered numerous honors recognizing her talents in team building, project management, professional development, and diversity initiatives. Judith comes to the Executive Board through the work of her brother, Calvin C. Johnson, Jr., exoneree, as well as past Chair and Board Member of the Georgia Innocence Project. Judith brings a unique perspective to the Georgia Innocence Project as a family member of an exoneree. In 2021, Judith retired from the U.S. Department of Transportation, where she served as the national Marketing Manager in Atlanta for the Federal Highway Administration Resource Center. Judith directed project initiatives advising the center’s technical teams in strategic marketing, communications planning, customer relations, and technology deployment. She began her career in the U.S. DOT as a writer in policy and planning development, and in a series of successive positions adopted new innovations and initiated improvements in the agency’s communications policies and guidance. She served as the Team Leader for Communications and Technology Team in the FHWA Southern Resource Center in Atlanta; the Management Team Leader for the FHWA Marketing and Visual Communications Division in Washington, DC; and the Chief for the Publishing Section in the FHWA Publishing and Visual Communications Branch in Washington, DC. Judith is a proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated. She lives in Decatur with her husband Eric. In retirement, Judith and Eric will enjoy travel, along with many gatherings with friends and family. It is an honor for Judith, along with her sister Tara, nephews, and Calvin’s daughter Brianna to continue his legacy in support of the wrongly convicted. As a member of the Board, Judith looks forward to representing the voice of the exonerees and their families.

Blake McDaniel is an assistant vice president in product management for the Federal Reserve System’s FedNow® Service. In his role, Blake supports the product development and product management efforts for the Federal Reserve’s FedNow Service offering. Blake has also held roles in the Retail Payments Office (RPO) of the Federal Reserve System, where he supported the RPO's Check and ACH product development and pricing efforts. He also worked in the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s human resources and legal functions. Blake has held roles of varying responsibility on several non-profit boards, including Literacy Action Inc., Oakhurst Cooperative Preschool, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s employee run non-profit, Charity Parity. Blake holds two bachelor's degrees, a master of business administration degree, and a juris doctor degree from the University of Georgia.

Julie recently retired after more than twenty years on the faculty at Emory School of Law, where she taught courses and seminars in evidence, constitutional law, and freedom of speech. Her research interests have included neuroscience and law, scientific evidence, hate speech, and free speech. She currently holds the title of associate professor of law emerita. Julie received her BA from the University of Pennsylvania (summa cum laude) and her JD from Harvard (magna cum laude), where she was an editor of the Harvard Law Review. She has long been interested in issues involving the criminal legal system, and currently serves on the board of the Georgia Innocence Project and the advisory board of the Quattrone Center for the Fair Administration of Law and Justice at the University of Pennsylvania.

Ashley Thompson is a strategic communications leader specializing in media relations, crisis communications, and reputation management. She currently serves as a Senior Lead Advisor in field public relations for a national consumer brand, where she supports local and national media relations efforts and advises on communications during complex and high-profile situations. Prior to her current role, Ashley was with Jackson Spalding, an Atlanta-based public relations firm, where she led media relations strategies for major brands, securing high-impact media coverage and providing executive media coaching, helping leaders strengthen their presence, confidence, and messaging. Before transitioning to public relations, Ashley spent more than a decade in broadcast journalism, most recently as an anchor and reporter in Atlanta. A two-time Emmy Award winner, she covered major news events including Super Bowl LIII, Hank Aaron's celebration of life, and the political and social events that shaped Georgia in 2020. She has earned an Associated Press "Best Reporter" award, a "Best Reporter" Southeast Emmy, and was part of a two-time Edward R. Murrow Award-winning news team recognized for overall excellence and breaking news coverage. Ashley is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she earned her degree in journalism. She brings her background in journalism, strategic communications, and public affairs to the Georgia Innocence Project and is committed to advancing awareness of wrongful convictions and supporting the organization's mission to pursue justice for the wrongfully convicted.

Brandon is a partner at the law firm Caplan Cobb in Atlanta, where his practice spans consumer class actions, appellate representation, constitutional claims, intellectual property matters, and business litigation. Brandon firmly believes that lawyers have a duty to use their skills to make the world a better, more just place and so maintains a robust public-interest practice, representing nonprofits and civil rights groups in voting-rights actions, filing amicus briefs in the United States Supreme Court in cases involving the accountability of government actors and the rights of transgender individuals, and successfully advocating before the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in an action on behalf of an indigent federal prisoner. Before entering the practice of law, Brandon played music and acted semi-professionally, wrote for a small newspaper, and clerked for two federal judges. He obtained his law degree magna cum laude from Vanderbilt law school, and a Bachelor of Arts in English and Theatre from W&L University. In his free moments, Brandon spends time gardening, foraging, and hiking with his wife and two young children.