A Conversation With Longtime Public Defender Kirsten Gettys Downs

Kirsten Gettys Downs is the Executive Director of the Homeless Persons Representation Project (HPRP).

This interview has been edited lightly.

Would you tell us a little bit about yourself and your work?

Prior to joining HPRP, I have held several leadership positions at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, including the District Public Defender for Baltimore City, Deputy District Public Defender for Montgomery County, and the Chief Attorney for the Western District Court Division in Baltimore City.

In addition to my work at the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, I served as a Federal Public Defender in the U.S. Virgin Islands and as Special Counsel for the United States Department of Justice under Janet Reno. I have also had experience in fundraising as the Assistant Director for Prospect Research at Smith College.

I am a native of Philadelphia and received my undergraduate degree at the University of Pennsylvania and my law degree at the University of California at Berkeley.

How did your move to HPRP happen? Had you been contemplating a change for some time?

During the Covid pandemic, our work at the Office of the Public Defender focused on not only providing legal…