Meet Alyssa

Alyssa and her husband Mark chose our beautiful Rogue Valley as their home nearly two decades ago. They are proud parents of three kids who are all Medford School District students. Alyssa is dedicated to making southern Oregon a place where her children can return as adults to build their lives and raise their own families.  

After graduating from Arizona State University, Alyssa pursued a law degree at Gonzaga. Upon admission to the Washington State Bar, she began prosecuting and securing convictions for perpetrators of major felonies including murder, felony assault, sexual assault, sexual abuse of minors, burglary, drug distribution, and domestic violence. She also served as the prosecuting attorney for Cowlitz County Mental Health Hospital, where she worked to ensure that people with mental health problems received appropriate treatment when they were a danger to themselves or others. 

After Alyssa and Mark got married, they relocated to southern Oregon and she joined Southern Oregon Public Defender in 2005. Relying on her prosecutorial career, she immediately took on a major felony caseload. Alyssa also became the defense attorney for the Mental Health & Wellness Court in Jackson County where she works alongside Community Corrections, Jackson County Mental Health, ARC, OnTrack, Jackson County judges & court personnel, and the District Attorney's Office. 

Alyssa's wide-ranging criminal law experience gives her a unique understanding of how prosecution, defense, corrections, and treatment work together to achieve the right outcomes for victims, offenders, and the broader community. 

When the opportunity arose to become counsel for Jackson County, Alyssa began representing our county in trials at both the state and federal level. She provided legal counsel to Jackson County Community Justice, Parole and Probation, the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, Jackson County Mental Health & Human Services, Jackson County Animal Control, and the Jackson County District Attorney's Office. 

Since returning to SOPD, Alyssa has observed the marked increase in open drug use, drug trafficking, homelessness, illegal marijuana operations, and other serious crimes that disrupt life in southern Oregon. She is dedicated to improving conditions in our region by holding criminals accountable for their actions.