Jo-Ann Wallace is the President and CEO of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association (NLADA). She was previously NLADA’s Senior Vice President for Programs, responsible for oversight of both the Civil Legal Aid and Public Defense Program agendas. From 1994 – 2000, Ms. Wallace served as Director of the Public Defender Service for the District of Columbia (PDS), where she embraced holistic approaches to advocacy, including expanding the staff to include civil legal aid professionals and securing funding to open a new community office. She was named a Champion of Change by the White House.