Our Leadership Team

hcessna@sbids.org

Heather Cessna is the Executive Director of the Kansas State Board of Indigents' Defense Services. She is responsible for administering the day-to-day operations of the public defender system and assigned counsel program, supervising all Kansas Chief Public Defenders, developing the agency’s budget, acting as a liaison between the Board of Indigents’ Defense Services and the legislature, and working with the Board to formulate policies and plans for improving indigent defense in Kansas.

Heather is a 2002 University of Kansas School of Law graduate. Prior to becoming Executive Director in October 2019, Heather worked for sixteen years at the Kansas Appellate Defender Office, where she served as both an Assistant and Deputy Appellate Defender, arguing criminal defense appeals in front of the Kansas Court of Appeals and Kansas Supreme Court.

Heather serves on the Kansas Bar Association's Access to Justice Committee, the National Association for Public Defense's Workload Committee, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the Kansas Supreme Court Task Force for Attorney Well-Being.

bbarrett@sbids.org

Brandon Barrett is General Counsel for the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services. Brandon focuses on regulatory compliance, contracts, legislation, and assisting counties in recruiting for their assigned counsel panels.

Previously, Brandon was a trial-level public defender based in Junction City, Kansas, and engaged in regular practice in Dickinson and Geary Counties. Before joining BIDS in 2015, Brandon worked with a personal-injury firm and with an attorney specializing in post-conviction remedies. He received his J.D. from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and his undergraduate degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.

treed@sbids.org

Tiffany Reed is the Director of Human Resources at the Kansas State Board of Indigents' Defense Services. She is responsible for the management of the agency's comprehensive human resource program which includes payroll, benefits, employee relations, recruitment, and ensuring compliance with federal and state laws, regulations, and agency policies and practices.

Previously, Tiffany served as the Assistant Bureau Chief of Human Resources at the Kansas Department of Transportation (KDOT). Before her employment with KDOT she was the Associate Director of Human Resources at the Kansas Board of Regents where she worked for twenty-two years. Tiffany has extensive human resource experience, including employee development and training, talent acquisition and retention, conflict resolution and mediation, compensation and benefits, performance management, and change management. In addition, Tiffany received her Professional Human Resources certification through the globally recognized Human Resource Standards Institute and is a member of the Society of Human Resource Management Topeka chapter.

asagan@sbids.org

Ann Sagan is the Director of Special Projects for the Kansas Board of Indigents’ Defense Services, where she works on agency-wide initiatives to improve the organization’s work across Kansas.

She was previously an Assistant Federal Public Defender for the District of Kansas, and an Assistant Public Defender at the Third Judicial District Public Defender Office in Topeka. She is a member of the Kansas Judicial Council Criminal Law Advisory Committee and the Kansas Rural Justice Initiative Committee. She previously served on the board of Kansas Holistic Defenders.

Prior to her work as a public defender, she was a judicial law clerk for Judge Catharine Easterly at the appellate court for the District of Columbia. She has a JD from the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and an MSc from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

ckerls@sbids.org

Christina M. Kerls is the Training Director for the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services. She is a dedicated legal professional with a passion for public defense and legal education.

Christina graduated from Washburn University School of Law in 2005, and has spent her entire legal career as a Public Defender, first as an appellate defender in the Appellate Defender Office. In 2019, Christina transitioned to the Northeast Kansas Conflicts office. In 2021, Christina moved into the role of Assistant Training Director, and held this role until she was appointed to her current position as Training Director in April of 2024. Her role involves overseeing comprehensive training programs aimed at empowering attorneys and support staff with the knowledge and skills necessary to provide effective representation to indigent clients.

Beyond her commitments at BIDS, Christina has also made significant contributions to legal education as an assistant adjunct professor at Washburn University School of Law, and as faculty in numerous trial skills programs presented by the National Institute of Trial Advocacy (NITA).

Christina has lived in Topeka, Kansas since 1998, She shares her life with her daughter Adler, and her two beloved dogs, Baxter and Koda.

mtroxell@sbids.org

Michael Troxell is the Lead Technology Support Consultant for the Kansas State Board of Indigents’ Defense Services. He is responsible for administering the agency network, and helps BIDS employees with all technology related matters.

Michael has worked for BIDS since 2009. He is a graduate of Bryan College, and has also worked for the Department of Children and Family Services. In his free time, he enjoys doing graphic design work, as well as music and video production.