Headquarters Office

David LaBahn

President and CEO

Mr. David LaBahn is President and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA), a national association representing elected and deputy or assistant prosecutors, and city attorneys. The association acts as a global forum for the exchange of ideas, allowing prosecutors to collaborate with all criminal justice partners, and conducts timely and effective training and technical assistance to improve the prosecutorial function. In addition, APA serves as an advocate for prosecutors on emerging issues related to the administration of justice, development of partnerships and implementation of problem-solving strategies.

Steven Naugle

Treasurer and CFO

Mr. Steven Naugle is the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) for the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys (APA). He is responsible for maintaining and handling all accounting for APAís expenses and grant management activities. The CFO also acts as APAís Treasurer and is responsible for internal administrative functions and controls. Mr. Naugle will ensure APA’s accountability and transparency of all funds maintaining federal grant compliance for tracking, accounting, and reporting purposes.

Legal Department

Nichole Parisi

General Counsel

Nichole Parisi returned to the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in March 2015 as the General Counsel after formerly serving as a law clerk for APA in 2012. Previously, Nichole worked as an associate attorney at the Law Offices of Bruce A. Johnson, Jr., LLC where she practiced criminal, business and real estate law in the state of Maryland. Nichole has experience working in the non-profit sector and has held positions with the National Native American Law Enforcement Association, National Sheriff’s Association, the Washington Redskins Original Americans Foundation and the National District Attorneys Association.

As a graduate of Saint Louis University School of Law, Nichole received her Juris Doctor degree, as well as a Certificate in International and Comparative Law. While in law school, Nichole was selected as the Dean’s Scholar, received the Dagen Fellowship and the Vincent C. Immel Endowed Scholarship. Nichole received a Certificate of Mastery in Legal Research and Practical Skills, and was selected as a Student Attorney for the Saint Louis University, School of Law Child Advocacy Clinic where she was involved in child advocacy and litigation.

Nichole attended the Pennsylvania State University where she received her Bachelor of Science degree in Crime, Law, and Justice with a concentration in Business Law.Nichole is admitted to practice in the State of Maryland and a member of the Maryland State Bar Association.

Marlene Botros

Deputy General Counsel

Marlene Botros joins APA as a Deputy General Counsel with a rich background in litigation. She previously worked for the Office of the Attorney General for the State of New Jersey as a Deputy Attorney General, where she represented the New Jersey Division of Child Protection & Permanency. Marlene has also worked as a law clerk for the Honorable Wayne J. Forrest, J.S.C.

Marlene graduated from Seton Hall University School of Law in May 2013. While in law school, Marlene interned for the Honorable Michael J. Shipp, U.S.D.C.J., where she researched and assisted in drafting judicial opinions and bench memoranda. Marlene attended Ramapo College of New Jersey, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science, with a minor in Public Policy. Marlene is admitted to practice law in the State of New York and New Jersey and is a member of the New Jersey State Bar Association.

Operations Department

Florence Muriithi, CGMP

Director of Operations

Flo brings a wealth of background in federal government contracting. For more than 10 years, she has worked as a contractor for the Justice and State Departments in various capacities. She attended George Mason University in Fairfax, Virginia where she obtained a degree in Economics and a minor in Conflict Analysis & Resolution. She is also a certified government meeting planner and a member of the society of government meeting planners

Gabriel Ibarra

Accounting Assistant

Communications and Media Department

Angel Tucker

Director of Communications

Angel Tucker is the Director of Communications for APA. Her background includes over 16 years of extensive experience in communications, graphic design, web design, event coordination and administration. She launched a web and graphic design company in 2008 that maintained the graphic portfolio for shopping malls, radio personalities and multiple non-profit organizations. She also served as a Business Consultant and Communications Advisor for several small companies.

Angel obtained a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from Loyola University Maryland. After which she obtained a Master of Arts Degree in Communications Design from the University of Baltimore. In her endeavors, she has also served in many community oriented positions including as vice-president for a national youth organization, president of a local youth outreach group and founding member of a Non-profit homeless assistance organization.

Rashaund Savage

Senior Graphic Designer/Marketing Coordinator

APA Projects

Child Abuse Prosecution Project

Mary-Ann Burkhart

Project Director

Mary-Ann Burkhart is the Director of the Child Abuse Prosecution Project at the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys in Washington, DC. Under Mary-Ann’s direction the Project provides training, technical assistance, support, and cutting-edge written products to multi-disciplinary child abuse teams. She comes to APA from National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse at the National District Attorney’s Association, where she was the Director of the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse. Mary-Ann began her legal career as an Assistant State Attorney in Miami-Dade County, Florida, specializing in prosecuting and training prosecutors on domestic violence and child abuse cases. Mary-Ann has also prosecuted homicides, child abuse and neglect, vulnerable adult and elder abuse cases in Baltimore City, and Prince Georges’ and Anne Arundel Counties in the state of Maryland. Throughout her career, Mary-Ann has extensively trained attorneys and published on various issues relating to investigating and prosecuting cases of child physical and sexual abuse and child victims, including during her tenure as Senior Attorney with the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse.

Mary Sawicki

Senior Attorney

Mary, a 23-year veteran of the Worcester County, Massachusetts District Attorney’s Office comes to us from the Suffolk Law School where she was a Practitioner in Residence. Mary also served as a Senior Attorney in the National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse and has extensive experience in providing training and technical assistance to child abuse prosecutors and their teams. Mary lives in Boston and will be the Senior Attorney – East Coast Division.

Ursula Donofrio

Training Director

The position of Training Director is held by Ursula Donofrio, who will be responsible for assisting the senior attorney staff in curriculum development and conference planning. As former Training Director for the California District Attorney’s Association, Ursula brings 25 years of experience to the Child Abuse Prosecution Project.

Aimee Peterson

Project Associate

High Performance Prosecution and Prosecutor-Led Diversion Initiatives

Robert Hood

Project Director

Robert W. Hood currently serves as the Director of the Community Prosecution and Violent Crime Division for APA, a position he has held since January of 2011. He joined APA in 2010 as a contract Senior Attorney and played a key role in the development and execution of the 6th National Community Prosecution Conference held in Washington DC. He also played a key role in developing the Innovations in Criminal Justice Summit in Chicago in 2011, planning for the 7th National Community Prosecution Conference, and co-authored the APA/BJA monograph, A Framework for High Performance Prosecutorial Services. Prior to joining APA, Bob served as the Chief of the Public & Community Safety Division of the Seattle City Attorney’s Office for nearly twelve years. In that position, starting in 1999, he built and directly managed the six-attorney Precinct Liaison Program, the office’s nationally recognized community prosecution program.

Dee Komo

Project Associate

Smart Prosecution Initiative

Beth Merachnik

Project Director

Beth Merachnik serves as the Director for the Smart Prosecution Initiative and the Victim Services Division at APA. The Smart Prosecution Initiative provides national training and technical assistance for prosecutors, to support and enhance criminal justice initiatives and promote public safety. Ms. Merachnik is a former prosecutor from Massachusetts having served for over twenty years in both the Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office and the Office of the Attorney General. Ms. Merachnik prosecuted a wide variety of cases during her career at the District Attorney’s office, including crimes of homicide, sexual assault and child abuse. For over four years, Ms. Merachnik held the position Director of the Middlesex Domestic Violence in which she was responsible for implementing policy and program development, preparing training programs, facilitating community outreach and designing strategies for prosecution and victim safety.

Ms. Merachnik served at the Office of the Attorney General, first as the Chief of the Community-Based Justice Bureau. The bureau was dedicated to developing programs and policies, devising strategies, drafting legislation and providing training in the areas of family violence, child protection, juvenile justice and community safety. Following this, Ms. Merachnik served as Senior Counsel and Trial Attorney in the Criminal Bureau, prosecuting financial crime, public corruption and computer crime. Ms. Merachnik served on the Governor’s Commission for Sexual and Domestic Violence where she was co-chair of the legislative sub-committee.

Margo Badawy

Staff Attorney

Margo Badawy is a Staff Attorney with the Smart Prosecution Initiative at APA. As an Assistant Attorney General in the U.S. territory of Saipan, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Ms. Badawy worked in the Special Victims Unit where she prosecuted sexual assault, incest, child abuse, homicide, and burglary cases.

Ms. Badawy began her legal career as a Presidential Management Fellow with the United States Department of Health and Human Services where she worked on policy at the Office of Child Support Enforcement. She also worked as an attorney with for the Disability Rights Center for the Virgin Islands, where she represented clients and conducted legal trainings centered on civil rights.

Ms. Badawy graduated magna cum laude from The Pennsylvania State University’s Schreyer’s Honors College and graduated cum laude from the University at Buffalo Law School.

Kristi Sipila

Project Associate

Kristi Sipila serves as the Program Associate for the Smart Prosecution Initiative. Ms. Sipila holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration. She came to APA from a small government consulting firm in Virginia where she planned government meetings and was the staff liaison for the National Commission on Forensic Science. Her background includes extensive experience in event coordination, planning and administration.