POUGHKEEPSIE – Dutchess County Executive Sue Serino has selected Margaret Walker to serve as the county’s public defender, following the recent retirement of longtime county Public Defender Thomas Angell. Walker, who currently serves as a Bureau Chief and the Office’s Director of Training, will be the first female and the sixth Public Defender in Dutchess County history.
The county legislature is expected to confirm the appointment at the January 16 meeting. Walker will be leading an office of more than 35 lawyers, social workers, investigators, and support staff who are tasked with work in both the criminal and family courts.
“Margaret’s breadth of education, experience, and passion to serve others make her the ideal person to serve as our next public defender,” said Serino. “In addition to her well-deserved reputation as a capable leader and legal mind, she brings her education and prior work experience in community and counseling psychology, which is critically important in helping to meet client needs and assist them in rebuilding productive lives. Our community will be well-served with Margaret Walker as our public defender.”
Walker said she is “honored to be part of the incredibly talented team at the Dutchess County Public Defender’s Office. I look forward to continuing the office’s reputation for providing a high standard of quality legal representation and continuing Tom Angell’s legacy of client-centeredness, as we help those in need strive to better their lives. I appreciate the confidence County Executive Serino has placed upon me, and I am excited to begin a new chapter of working toward greater fairness and equity in the criminal justice system in Dutchess County.”
Attorney James McEleney previously served in the public defender’s office before joining a private firm praised the selection. “Margaret Walker brings experience, tenacity, and humanity to a position that greatly requires all three of those traits.”
Walker has a wide range of experience, having served in various roles in both the public and private sectors, including multiple roles in Dutchess County Government. Walker’s first experience with the county was during an internship with the Office of Probation and Community Corrections in 1994, as she studied for her Master’s degree in Community/Counseling Psychology from Marist College, graduating in 1995. She worked for community organizations such as the Putnam Associated Resource Center in Carmel and the Community Rehabilitation Center in Kingston. She also served as an educator for the former Domestic Abuse Awareness Classes for Men program at Family Services, Inc. and later worked as a Domestic Violence Outreach Aide for the Dutchess County District Attorney’s Office, where she assisted victims of domestic violence with support and referrals, acting as liaison with the prosecutors handling criminal cases.
Walker earned her law degree from Pace University Law School in 2003 and became a Dutchess County Assistant District Attorney, serving for several years. She briefly left the county to work in private practice and the Rensselaer County District Attorney’s Office. In 2011, she returned to Dutchess County, serving as Senior Assistant District Attorney from 2011 to 2017 and then as Senior Assistant County Attorney from 2017 to 2019.
Born and raised in the Village of Wappingers Falls, she continues to live there with her husband.
