Ginger Lerner-Wren

Judge Ginger Lerner-Wren was elected Broward County Court Judge, 17th Judicial Circuit, Florida (1997); where she pioneered America’s first specialized Mental Health Court. The court is dedicated to the safe diversion of persons arrested with mental illness and neuro-cognitive disorders through the application of therapeutic jurisprudence and a trauma-informed approach.
The Court is a national and global model; and has diverted over 23,000 people out of Broward County’s jail with linkage to individualized community-based care and psychosocial services.
Special recognitions include:
• National Model for Congressional Legislation piloting 100 Mental Health Courts in the U.S, 2000.

• Appointed by President George W. Bush to serve on The President’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. (2002).

• Top Finalist: 2013 “Innovating Justice Awards” by The Hague International Institute for Innovation of Law Foundation (HIIL Foundation), The Hague, The Netherlands,

• Excellence in Advocacy Award for Elected Service, National Center for Behavioral Health, 2015.
Judge Wren is an Adjunct Professor at Nova Southeastern University (NSU) College of Psychology and Neuroscience and NSU Criminal Justice Institute.
She is an author, A Court of Refuge: Stories from the Bench of America's First Mental Health Court; Beacon Press, 2018. Judge Wren is a global speaker on mental health & criminal justice, problem-solving Justice, therapeutic jurisprudence, trauma informed courts, and leading cultural change.

Dr. David Shapiro is a Professor Emeritus of the College of Psychology, Nova Southeastern University. He has previously taught at the John Jay ,College of Criminal Justice, University of Maryland,Baltimore County, Towson University, and American University. He has a lengthy history of contributions to the field of forensic psychology, including research, teaching, consultation, and writing; he is the author of twelve textbooks in the field of forensic psychology as well as many peer reviewed articlesand also in the areas of professional liability and malpractice; he regularly teaches online webinars in areas having to do with professional ethics, risk management in psychotherapy, assessment of violent behavior, forensic assessment, and " the duty to warn". He has been awarded several distinguished contribution awards including two in psychology and one in forensic psychology. He has served as the Chair of the Ethics Committee of the American Board of Professional Psychology, as well as a member of the Ethics Committee of the American Psychological Association, and has also served on the Board of Trustees of the American Board of Professional Psychology. He is also a risk management consultant for the American Insurance Trust.

Dr. Lenore Walker is a professor emerita from Nova Southeastern University College of Psychology where she was the Coordinator of the Forensic Psychology program for the doctoral and master's students. Currently she maintains a small independent practice of forensic psychology assisting attorneys representing those who killed their abusive partners in self-defense or other cases requiring evaluation of the client's state of mind after experiencing trauma. She continues her research on domestic and gender violence with the recent publication of the Survivor Therapy Empowerment Program (STEP) for incarcerated females. Walker has lectured around the world on various issues impacting victim/survivors of interpersonal violence especially using feminist psychology approaches. She has published over 25 books and numerous professional book chapters and journal articles on these topics. She has been appointed the Chair of the American Psychological Association Working Group on Professional Guidelines for the Practice of Psychology. Her passion is writing mystery novels and has published “Madness to Murder” on Amazon. More can be found on her website, www.drlenoreewalker.com.