Amy Hurd

Dr. Amy L. Hurd (she/her) is an investigations strategist and mitigation practitioner with 20 years of experience in high-stakes, high-impact roles on federal defense  teams. She holds an AM in clinical social work from the University of Chicago and a  DSW in organizational leadership from the University of Alabama. For over 10 years,  Amy has served with the Office of the Federal Public Defender for the Eastern  District of Virginia, where she works on behalf of community members charged with  federal crimes ranging from misdemeanors to capital-eligible offenses. She is a life history expert and proponent of client-centered, holistic practice on both capital  and non-capital defense teams.  

Amy serves on the Alumni Association Board of Directors for the Crown Family  School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice at the University of Chicago. She recently served on the Executive Committee for the National Alliance of Sentencing  Advocates and Mitigation Specialists and as the Career and Networking Chair for  the LGBTQ Alumni Association at the University of Alabama.  

Amy’s scholarship on social work within public defense has been published  in Social Work and presented to legal, social work, and university audiences  nationwide. She has conducted mitigation investigations across the United States  and internationally to Austria, Canada, and Japan. Amy is the recipient of the 2023  Milestone Achievement Award from the Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy,  and Practice at the University of Chicago and the 2021 Award for Writing to Advance  Social Work Practice and Social Justice at the University of Alabama School of  Social Work.