Chelsea Curtis

Chelsea Curtis was named Deputy Executive Director of the Tennessee District Public Defenders Conference in 2018. Ms. Curtis previously served as an Assistant Public Defender in the 21st Judicial District, primarily in Williamson County Circuit Court, where she received acquittals in two jury trials and a verdict of “not guilty by reason of insanity” in a bench trial acting as first-chair attorney. As Deputy Director, Curtis serves as a liaison on behalf of the public defenders to the legislature, the Administrative Office of the Courts Integrated Criminal Justice Program Steering Committee, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Human Trafficking Advisory Task Force, and to the Tennessee Domestic Violence State Coordinating Council. Curtis ensures public defenders across the state are up-to-date on the latest legislative trends and changes to criminal code and works alongside the Executive Director, Patrick Frogge, to secure legislative approval of the TDPDC budget. She received her bachelor’s degree from the Middle Tennessee State University Honors College, where she was a Buchanan Fellow, in 2011, and her law degree from the University of Mississippi School of Law with a certification in Criminal Law with Honors in 2015.