NASAMS Melissa Kupferberg Annual Training Scholarship

The Melissa Kupferberg Annual Conference Scholarship recognizes Melissa’s life work and commitment to providing indigent persons accused of criminal violations of state and federal law with zealous, client-centered advocacy through providing high quality training for all members of the defense team and promoting best practices for client representation in non-capital cases.

We invite all those interested in applying to the Melissa Kupferberg Scholarship to write a 1,000 - 1,500 word essay detailing how your work exemplified the mission of this Melissa Kupferberg Scholarship. Please send your application and two references from attorneys, defense-based social workers, investigators and/or sponsoring agency to Lori James-Townes at 3600 Clipper Mill Rd, Suite 201, Baltimore, MD 21211 or via email at lorijtownes@verizon.net by Friday, January 14, 2011. You will be notified if you have won the tuition scholarship by Friday, January 28, 2011. We intend to inform the winner of any additional funding toward your scholarship by the 3rd week of February.

The Melissa Kupferberg Annual Scholarship will cover one annual conference tuition and up to $400.00 to cover travel and hotel expenses. NLADA has established a dedicated account for donations to the Melissa Kupferberg Scholarship. Please click HERE to make a tax-deductible donation.

Applications will be reviewed by a committee comprised of former NASAMS Chair, Lori James-Towns; founding NASAMS member, Betsy Biben; and former board member, Jim Tibensky, all of whom were friends of Melissa. A representative of Melissa’s family will also be on the scholarship panel.

Melissa exemplified this mission. Through her persistent hard work, scholarship and training, as well as dedication and compassion, Melissa became a shining star in our profession. Melissa worked in the capital and non-capital communities in Arizona and Florida. She was a tireless champion for her clients and celebrated the uniqueness and “beauty” she found in each person she represented. Melissa always went beyond the call of duty with each person she met whether client, colleague or friend. She was a wonderful listeners, which led clients, as well as friends, to trust and confide in her without reservation, knowing that their confidences were well placed. Melissa had the uncanny ability to become a cherished part of someone’s life within minutes of meeting her. She embraced life and all it had to offer

Melissa was vice-chair of NASAMS and co-chair of NASAMS Annual Conferences. She was an active board member. She had co-developed and presented an ethics training for social workers in defenders offices and had planned to concentrate on writing professional articles on the subject. Melissa had also begun to develop a graduate school curriculum on defense-based mitigation training. In the years before her untimely death, Melissa provided training throughout the country for the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts, Office of Defender Services and was a greatly sought faculty member. She was also co-authoring a handbook for mitigation investigators, specialists, and social science experts which was close to completion.