Moderator: Patricia Broussard



Professor Patricia A Broussard is a twenty-year member of the faculty at Florida A&M University College of Law, having previously taught for seven years at Howard University School of Law. She teaches Constitutional Law I and II, First Amendment,

Advanced Appellate Advocacy, and Advanced Topics in Women and the Law. She earned her Juris Doctor, cum laude, from Howard University School of Law and holds aBachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University.

After completing law school, Professor Broussard began her legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Honorable George W. Mitchell of the District of Columbia Superior Court. After her clerkship, she practiced Family Law before entering academia. In addition to her teaching duties, Professor Broussard has published several articles that focus on civil rights and human rights, with particular emphasis on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM). She has co-authored two Amicus Curiae briefs to the United States Supreme Court in Grutter v. Bollinger and Shelby County v. Holder. She has served on many panels and participated in several presentations on a range of topics that complement her areas of expertise, such as: The Hobby Lobby Decision, Citizens United, Free Speech, and Elections, and Free Speech or Animal Cruelty? United States of America v. Robert J. Stevens.

Professor Broussard is a strong adherent to the quote "Service is the rent we pay for the privilege of living on this earth."; To that end, Professor Broussard has been a Commissioner for the City of Orlando Mayor’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission for several years. She has coached Moot Court and Client Counseling teams at law school. She serves as Faculty Advisor to several student organizations while serving on various University committees. In addition, she has been a member of the University Faculty Senate.

Professor Broussard has received numerous honors recognizing her contributions to legal education. While at Howard University School of Law, she was awarded the Warren Rosmarin Award for Outstanding Teaching and Service. At FAMU College of Law, she has been a five-time recipient of the Percy Luney Spirit of Service Award and a six-time recipient of the “Professor of the Year” honor. She received the Women of Distinction Pathfinder Award from the Central Florida Association for Women Lawyers and the Community Recognition Award in Educational Development from the alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.

Professor Broussard regards the academic and professional success of her students as her greatest accomplishment. She is deeply committed to excellence in teaching and to meaningful service and mentorship, and she approaches her work with a sustained

dedication to developing thoughtful, capable, and engaged legal professionals.

The Honorable Lisa T. Munyon, chief judge, Ninth Judicial Circuit



Lisa Munyon, the first woman to serve as chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, was reelected unopposed for a third term last year. She assumed office on July 18, 2003, and her current term ends on Jan. 2, 2029.

Munyon was appointed to a newly created position on the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court by former Gov. Jeb Bush on April 4, 2003.

She has served in the criminal division, domestic relations division, civil division, business court and probate division during her tenure.

She also has chaired the Florida Courts Technology Commission that makes technology policy recommendations. Munyon's leadership has been instrumental in the development and implementation of technology within the state court system, including the creation of a mandatory electronic filing system and the establishment of an Appellate Case Information System.

Munyon received a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance in 1982 and a Juris Doctor in 1985, both from the University of Florida.

She spent 10 years as an assistant state attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit. Then, in 1996, she became a private practice lawyer. She held that position until 2003 when she joined the circuit court.

She received the Florida Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Award for Judicial Excellence and the Orange County Bar Association’s James A. Glazebrook Memorial Bar Service Award.

She also was named Jurist of the Year by the Florida Association of Women Lawyers and Jurist of the Year by the Florida Chapters American Board of Trial Advocates.

Monique H. Worrell, State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit



Monique H. Worrell is the state attorney of the Ninth Judicial Circuit of Florida, serving as the chief prosecutor for Orange and Osceola counties. Elected in November 2020 and re-elected by an overwhelming majority in November 2024, she is the second African American to be elected state attorney in the Ninth Judicial Circuit.

Worrell made Central Florida her home in 1996 after earning her law degree from the University of Florida.

She began her career as a public defender in Orange County before transitioning to private practice, focusing on criminal justice. Later, she served as a clinical law professor at the University of Florida College of Law. There, she founded and directed the Criminal Justice Center, creating opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience and specialized education in criminal law.

She also developed the Your Future, Your Choice program to educate youth on their rights and responsibilities, reflecting her commitment to keeping young people out of the criminal justice system.

Worrell went on to lead the Conviction Integrity Unit at the Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney’s Office, investigating wrongful conviction claims. This experience deepened her commitment to systemic change within the criminal justice system.

She also served as the chief legal officer for a nonprofit focused on criminal justice reform.

Worrell was elected to address deep-rooted issues in the criminal legal system and remains dedicated to advancing fairness and justice.

Melissa Vickers, Public Defender, Ninth Judicial Circuit

Melissa Vickers was elected Public Defender in 2024 in Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit and is the first woman to hold this position.

Board-certified in criminal defense law since 2006, she has more than 27 years of legal experience and has represented adults and juveniles in every phase of criminal cases.

Before her election she worked both in private practice and public defense.

She earned a bachelor's degree from the University of South Florida in 1995 and a law degree from Nova Southeastern University in 1998.

Vickers has been board certified by the Florida Bar in criminal defense law since 2006. She has been practicing for over 24 years and has represented adults and juveniles in every aspect of their criminal cases. She served in management at the Public Defender’s Office for Orange and Osceola County for over 14 years and, in private practice, has experience working on injunction and personal injury cases.

Her experience in working for a Public Defender’s Office began after her freshman year in college by working summer and winter breaks at the Public Defender’s Office in Jacksonville in the Fourth Circuit. She was responsible for interviewing incarcerated clients and relaying those reports to their respective attorneys. It was that experience that ignited her passion for representing members of her community who were unable to afford their own attorney. During law school, she worked part time at the public defender’s office in Fort Lauderdale in the Seventeenth Circuit.

After law school she began her career and served as an Assistant Public Defender in Fort Lauderdale in the Seventeenth Circuit from 1998 to 2001. Vickers moved to Orlando in 2001 and worked for the Public Defender’s Office for Orange and Osceola County for more than 18 years. She was quickly promoted and served in management at that office for over 14 years. Vickers worked in various management positions such as the Chief Assistant Public Defender, Trials Chief, Felony Chief and Juvenile Chief.

As the Chief Assistant Public Defender, she supervised over 130 attorneys and over 50 support staff. Throughout her years she has supervised, trained and mentored hundreds of attorneys and law students.

Melissa was the recipient of the Joe Durocher Foot Soldier of the Constitution Award, presented by the Central Florida Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. She was also honored with the Franklin Graham Award for outstanding service while at the Public Defender’s Office.

She is a former 1st Vice President of the League of Women Voters of Orange County as well as Government Committee Chairperson.

Tiffany Moore Russell, Orange County Clerk of Courts

Tiffany Moore Russell, a native of Orlando, Florida, made history in 2014 as the first African American female Clerk elected in Florida and the first African American clerk in Orange County.

Elected to the Orange County Commission to represent District 6 in November 2006, Russell made history by becoming the youngest county commissioner ever elected to serve on the Orange County Commission. She served two terms on the County Commission (2006-2014).

She received a Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of South Florida and a Juris Doctor from Florida State University College of Law.

As commissioner and now as a constitutional officer, Russell has a strong commitment to her community. Trained as an attorney, she understands that access to the justice system is crucial, especially for those in the community who are economically challenged. That understanding led her to create the Lydia Gardner Self Help Center. Named in honor of a former Orange County clerk, the center is the first of its kind in Orange County and provides low-cost legal assistance in the areas of family law, residential evictions and small claims to those who are not represented by an attorney.

In response to her outstanding contributions to the justice system, the Virgil Hawkins Florida Chapter of the National Bar Association honored Clerk Russell with the 2024 Trailblazer Award.  She was also honored with the Guardian Care 2024 Women Breaking Barriers and Blazing Trails Award, and she was featured in the Legacy of Excellence: Phenomenal Black Women in Central Florida exhibit.   

Russell is past president of the Florida Court Clerks and Comptrollers Association 2024-2025 Board of Directors. She was also sworn in to serve another term on the Executive Council of the Florida Clerks of Court Operations Corporation, which is a statutory entity that oversees Florida clerks’ budgets.