News Details

County Public Defender awarded AmeriCorps / VISTA community engagement member

August 20, 2019

SOLANO COUNTY – The Solano County Public Defender's Office was selected by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association (NLADA) to host an AmeriCorps/VISTA member starting in August.  The initiative trains AmeriCorps/VISTA members in best practices in Community Oriented Defense by placing them in public defense agencies to help establish systems for ongoing sustainability.

"We are excited and honored to have been selected," said Interim Public Defender Elena D’Agustino. “We are working to increase our efforts on strengthening our community engagement efforts, to bring the voices of the communities we serve into our everyday practices and plans for moving forward.”

Mr. Trung Nguyen, who received his BA in Political Science from UC Davis in 2017, is in the process of obtaining his MA in Education from San Diego State University.  Mr. Nguyen has been selected to work on a comprehensive plan to build relationships, share knowledge and engage the communities served by the public defender’s office.  He will serve at the office in Fairfield for a year starting August 19, 2019.

“Our AmeriCorps VISTA member will direct an effort to identify opportunities for mutually beneficial partnerships in our client communities,” said D’Agustino.  “Over the next year we will continue to build and collaborate with civil, public and private organizations who share our mission to achieve justice for underserved communities and to provide better holistic services to our clients.”

AmeriCorps VISTA members serve as a catalyst for change, living and working alongside community members to meet our nation’s most pressing challenges and advance local solutions. NLADA leads a broad network of advocates on the frontlines to advance justice and expand opportunity for all by promoting excellence in the delivery of legal services for people who cannot afford counsel. The AmeriCorps VISTA project gives NLADA the opportunity to support a selection of communities directly while gathering data and piloting best practices to help communities on a national level.

For more information on the Solano County Public Defender’s Office call (707) 784-6700 or visit www.SolanoCounty.com/Depts/PubDefender.