In recognition of Black History Month, join us for an inspiring virtual panel discussion and Q&A featuring Black Chief Prosecutors from diverse jurisdictions: Sherry Boston, Darcel Clark, and Mark Dupree. These trailblazing leaders will share their personal journeys to becoming the top law enforcement officials in their communities.

Learn about the challenges they’ve faced, the principles that guide their work, and the initiatives they’ve spearheaded to embrace cultural competency and ensure ethical practices, equitable outcomes, and community safety.

This is a unique opportunity to engage directly with these leaders during the Q&A session and gain insights on:

• Leadership strategies
• Ethical decision-making
• Professional responsibility
• Sustaining justice-driven principles

Eligible for 1.5 hours of general MCLE credit.

Speakers

Sherry Boston stands among the elite in the world of prosecution as one of the rare 1% of African American females currently serving as district attorney nationwide.

Ms. Boston was first elected as the district attorney for DeKalb County in 2016. In her capacity, DA Boston oversees the prosecution of felony offenses filed in the Superior Court of DeKalb County and supervises a staff of more than 300 people including attorneys, investigators, paralegals, victim advocates, and administrative professionals.

Since taking the helm as district attorney in January 2017, Ms. Boston has assembled a diverse and highly experienced leadership team. She recognizes the critical role her office plays in the criminal justice system and was the first district attorney in Georgia to mandate Implicit Bias training for all employees.

During her tenure, DA Boston has made it a priority to keep her office on the leading edge of crime trends establishing a Human Trafficking and Internet Crimes Unit, a Digital Forensics Unit, and a Firearm Violence Prevention Unit. Her office also works closely with the DeKalb County Police Department, DeKalb County Medical Examiner’s Office, Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Federal Bureau of Investigation and others as part of the DeKalb County Cold Case Task Force.

Prior to her role as district attorney, Ms. Boston served as DeKalb County solicitor-general, the elected prosecutor overseeing misdemeanor crimes. During her tenure as solicitor-general, Ms. Boston was instrumental in the development of DeKalb’s revamped Traffic Division and also implemented a wide variety of innovative programming and strategies aimed at community outreach and crime prevention.

In addition to her elected positions, DA Boston has received numerous legal appointments and wide recognition for her innovative prevention/intervention initiatives and impassioned commitment to domestic violence awareness. In 2018, she received the Champion for Change Award from the Women’s Resource Center to End Domestic Violence for her leadership in the DV arena, including the development of two signature community awareness campaigns. Atlanta Magazine has repeatedly lauded her as one of metro Atlanta’s 500 Most Influential People, featuring her on the coveted front cover of the publication in 2019.

In 2024, DA Boston was honored with awards on the national, state and local levels. Public Rights Project, a non-profit that works with local governments to protect civil rights, named DA Boston a 2024 Justice Seeker. The Georgia Association for Women Lawyers presented her with the Leading Lady Award, which is given to a GAWL member who is an exemplary leader in the legal profession and in the community, and Leadership DeKalb recognized DA Boston with a Distinguished Alumni Award.

Among her varied involvement in community and legal organizations, District Attorney Boston is an active member of the State Bar of Georgia where she serves on the Board of Governors, the State Bar’s policy-making arm.

District Attorney Boston is a graduate of Villanova University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Emory University School of Law. She resides in DeKalb County with her husband and two daughters.

Darcel Clark became the 13th District Attorney for Bronx County on January 1, 2016. She is the first woman in that position and the first African-American woman to be elected a District Attorney in New York State. She was re-elected to her third term in November 2023.

District Attorney Clark’s mission is “Pursuing Justice with Integrity,” and in fulfilling that mission she has restructured the Bronx District Attorney’s Office to reflect 21st Century prosecution, focusing on assistance for victims, fairness to defendants, crime prevention and community outreach. She created a Conviction Integrity Bureau, a Public Integrity Bureau, established a Rikers Island Prosecution Bureau to decrease violence and corruption in the jails, and enhanced services for victims of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse.

District Attorney Clark pioneered alternative to incarceration initiatives through a new Community Justice Bureau.

Prior to her election, District Attorney Clark served as an Associate Justice for the NYS Supreme Court Appellate Division, First Department; a NYS Supreme Court Justice in Bronx County; and a Criminal Court Judge in Bronx and New York Counties. She spent more than 16 years on the bench.

District Attorney Clark is a lifelong Bronx, New York resident, raised in the Soundview Houses and graduated from Harry S Truman High School. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Boston College, where she serves as a member of the Board of Trustees, and earned her law degree at the Howard University School of Law in Washington, D.C.

District Attorney Clark returned home in 1986 to begin her legal career at the Bronx District Attorney’s Office. She prosecuted drug felonies, violent crimes and homicides. District Attorney Clark served as a Supervising ADA in the Narcotics Bureau and the Deputy Chief of the Criminal Court Bureau. In 1999, she left the Office for her first judicial post.

District Attorney Clark is co-chair of Prosecutors Against Gun Violence, and a Board Member of both the National District Attorneys Association and the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York. She frequently addresses national and local legal organizations, including the American Bar Association, the National Black Prosecutors Association and the New York State and New York City Bar Associations, on a range of criminal justice topics.

Mark A. Dupree, Sr. is the District Attorney of Wyandotte County, the 4th largest county in the state of Kansas. Mr. Dupree leads an office of more than 60 employees and manages a significant fiscal budget. Since taking office in 2017, Mr. Dupree’s administration has focused on equitably charging and prosecuting crime, being proactive, attacking violent crimes and crimes that impact the standard of living and trust in the community.

Mr. Dupree was successful in creating the first ever “Conviction Integrity Unit” in the state of Kansas, now known as the “Community Integrity Unity.” This unit is responsible for ensuring the convictions obtained previously still hold integrity today and addressing police misconduct.

He is a holistic justice advocate and is passionate about ensuring equal treatment for all. D.A. Dupree has instituted implicit bias training within his office and was a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Racial Equity and Justice. He is the current president of the Kansas Bar Association and serves as a member of the Kansas Sentencing Commission, and a board member of Sunflower House.