Judge
Franklin County, OH

The honorable Jim (James) O'Grady has been a Judge on the Franklin County Municipal Court since 2011. He is a graduate of Columbus Public Schools’ Northland High School, Ohio Dominican University, and Capital University Law School. Judge O’Grady was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, and worked as a bailiff in the Municipal Court while earning his undergraduate and law school degrees. Judge O’Grady is one of the court’s leaders in creating programs that offer opportunities for restorative justice, allowing offenders to take responsibility and address underlying conditions. He assisted in the creation of the first specialized docket in the Municipal Court for those dealing with mental health issues. Judge O’Grady also co-created the CAPIT program, the first counseling program in the nation specifically geared for defendants in the LGBTQ+ community, and co-created the Municipal Court’s Medication-Assisted Treatment program, which links individuals with opioid and alcohol addiction to treatment. Additionally, he is the co-creator of the MARCH program, a walk-in resource center serving both justice-involved and non-justice-involved members of the community. He serves as the Chair of the Court's Probation, Security, and Clinics Committees.

Pretrial Supervisor
Chesterfield County, VA

Mrs. Melissa Woodard is a Pretrial Investigation Supervisor at Chesterfield County/Colonial Heights Community Corrections and Pretrial Services, with over 22 years of experience working with justice-involved individuals living with Substance Use Disorder. Her previous positions include serving as a Probation Officer for the Center of Risk Reduction (CORR), a sentencing alternative for medium to high-risk clients, as well as local probation and pretrial work. She is an alumnus of Longwood University (Go Lancers!) and is a trainer in Effective Practices in Correctional Settings (EPICS). Melissa is passionate about helping people find the best version of themselves and believes that you need to be the change you want to see in the world.

Continuous Quality Improvement Manager
Common Pleas Probation
Franklin County, OH

Sara Shields has worked for the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Adult Probation Department since 2001. In her current role as the Continuous Quality Improvement Manager, she helps ensure the department adheres to evidence-based practices, oversees the department’s MAT program, and serves as a liaison with staff and external stakeholders. She is a lead trainer for the Probation Officer Training Program through the Supreme Court of Ohio and teaches classes to new probation officers. Sara has a M.A. in Sociology and a B.A. in Criminology from Ohio University.

Judge
Franklin County, OH

Judge Paley served on the Columbus City Council from 2009 to 2015, when she was elected as Judge of the Franklin County Municipal Court. Judge Paley serves on the Probation Committee, the Rules and Policy Committee, the Finance and Budget Committee, and the New Courthouse Committee. Judge Paley strives for alternatives to jail and has helped several first-of-their-kind programs, including CAP IT (a domestic violence program for the LGBTQ community), as well as MAT (a medication-assisted treatment program) at the courthouse.

Prior to assuming office, Judge Paley served as a commissioner for the Columbus Civil Service Commission. She has served on numerous boards of directors and held leadership positions with many organizations, including the Greater Columbus Arts Council, the Neighborhood House, the National Council of Jewish Women, Dynamic Leadership, Inc., the Columbus Area Labor Management Committee, and the Legal Task Force of the Columbus Coalition Against Family Violence. Judge Paley holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from The Ohio State University and a Juris Doctorate from Capital University Law School. She lives in Columbus with her husband Brian and six cats. Judge Paley enjoys the arts and spending time with her large immediate and extended families.

Local Probation Supervisor
Chesterfield County, VA

Mrs. Anna Hefferon is a Probation Supervisor for special programs at Chesterfield County/Colonial Heights Community Corrections and Pretrial Services, with over 17 years of experience working with justice involved individuals. Her previous positions include working as a Pretrial Officer for an intensive program for pretrial clients living with a Serious Mental Illness and Substance Use Disorder and, a reentry case manager for individuals being released from the Richmond City Jail. She holds a Master of Criminal Justice degree from Virginia Commonwealth University. Anna holds the position of Secretary for the Virginia Community Criminal Justice Association (VCCJA) and is a trainer in Effective Practices in Correctional Settings (EPICS).  Anna lives by the wise Dr. Seuss quote “Unless SOMEONE like YOU CARES a whole AWFUL LOT, nothing is going to get BETTER, IT’S NOT”. 

CCS Director
Chesterfield County, VA

Gary Hughes is the Director of the Chesterfield County Community Corrections Program, where he oversees Local Probation, Pretrial Services, the Center of Risk Reduction, Dual Treatment Track, and the Domestic and Sexual Violence Resource Center.  Previously, he served as Director of Community Corrections for Henrico County for three years.  Additional experience included six years as a Probation Services Supervisor for Chesterfield County Community Corrections. Prior to his appointment as a supervisor, he worked for four years as a Local Probation Officer in the Domestic Violence Unit at Chesterfield. He started his career as an Adult Probation Officer for Maricopa County in Phoenix, Arizona. His experience in the Criminal Justice field spans over 27 years. He graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in Criminal Justice.

Chief Probation Officer
Franklin County, OH

Elisha Zerman, the Chief Probation Officer in the Franklin County Municipal Court, has led Pretrial and Probation Services as it has gained statewide status as a criminal justice leader in Ohio. In 2024, the Ohio Chief Probation Officer Association recognized the department with the Excellence Award for maintaining public safety, ensuring victims’ rights are fiercely protected, and allowing offenders a chance at rehabilitation.  

With more than 20 years of experience in Criminal Justice and Probation, Zerman has also served as the Chief Probation Officer for the Common Pleas Court and its Family Court Division. She received her bachelor’s degree in addiction studies from the University of Cincinnati and a master’s in justice administration from Tiffin University. She serves as a board member and committee member on several criminal justice boards in the Columbus area. She enjoys supervising clients and serving the public, but her ultimate passion is supervising others, watching staff grow and learn as professionals. She does this by being a good role model, empowering staff, helping clients, and the communities she serves.