Allegheny County, Pennsylvania / Public Defender
Agency file
The Public Defender handles legal functions of government — prosecution, legal advice, and representing the state in court.
In 2025, this agency had 176 employees with median total compensation of $66,610; the highest distinct record was $119,612.
What the records show
These summaries compare pay within the agency before listing individual records.
How 2025 total compensation is spread across the 176 employees. Each bar is a pay range; taller bars mean more people earn in that range. The amber line marks the median ($66,610) — half earn less, half more. The far-right bar collects the highest earners.
What an average paycheck here is made of — base salary versus overtime, other pay (bonuses, allowances), and benefits. A large overtime or other-pay share means take-home often exceeds base salary.
The pay ladder for this department. Someone at the 90th percentile earns $90,199 — more than 90% of the department; the 10th percentile earns $13,717. The shaded band is the middle half of employees (25th–75th percentile).
The most common job titles in this department by headcount, with the median total compensation for each. Click a title to see everyone who holds it.
Trend
How this department's total payroll, headcount, and median pay changed across the 3 published years.
| Year | Total payroll | Employees | Median pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | $8.8M — | 160 — | $64,231 — |
| 2024 | $9.3M ▲ 5.0% | 161 ▲ 0.6% | $66,875 ▲ 4.1% |
| 2025 | $9.9M ▲ 6.5% | 176 ▲ 9.3% | $66,610 ▼ 0.4% |
Record list
Page 1
Director/Public Defender
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Andrew Howard is a Director at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 3/23/2015. 2025 total compensation came to $119,612.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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Jaclynn R Kearney is a Trial Defender 2 at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 9/30/1987. 2025 total compensation came to $116,684.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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Marcy L Nord is a Trial Defender 2 at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 5/22/1989. 2025 total compensation came to $116,684.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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Christopher Patarini works as a Trial Defender 2 for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 4/27/1987. Christopher earned $115,309 in 2025.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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Nikki Ann Tufano is a Trial Defender 2 at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 1/21/1986. 2025 total compensation came to $111,933.
Chief Deputy Director/Public Defender
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Andrew Howard works as a Chief Deputy Director for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 3/23/2015. Andrew earned $109,683 in 2024.
Trial Defender/Public Defender
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Lena M Henderson works as a Trial Defender for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 11/25/1991. Lena earned $108,605 in 2023.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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At Public Defender, Arthur J Ettinger serves as a Trial Defender 2. Records show a hire date of 4/23/2002. Their 2025 pay totaled $101,366.
Senior Deputy Director/Public Defender
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Andrew Howard works as a Senior Deputy Director for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 3/23/2015. Andrew earned $101,101 in 2023.
Director of Training & Policy/Public Defender
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Stacey L. Steiner is a Director of Training & Policy at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 4/30/2001. 2025 total compensation came to $101,101.
Senior Deputy Director/Public Defender
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At Public Defender, Sarah E. Linder Marx serves as a Senior Deputy Director. Records show a hire date of 1/3/2021. Their 2025 pay totaled $100,425.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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Patrick A. Sweeney is a Trial Defender 2 at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 9/29/1997. 2023 total compensation came to $98,567.
Deputy Director Trial Division/Public Defender
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At Public Defender, Steven A Tehovnik serves as a Deputy Director Trial Division. Records show a hire date of 2/22/2016. Their 2025 pay totaled $98,402.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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At Public Defender, Michele B. Harden serves as a Trial Defender 2. Records show a hire date of 2/17/1998. Their 2025 pay totaled $98,369.
Deputy Director Post Trial Division/Public Defender
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Brandon P. Ging is a Deputy Director Post Trial Division at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 5/5/2008. 2025 total compensation came to $98,280.
Deputy Director Pretrial Division/Public Defender
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Max Cotton is a Deputy Director Pretrial Division at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 11/5/2012. 2025 total compensation came to $98,275.
Deputy Director Juvenile Division/Public Defender
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Brianna I Sulenski is a Deputy Director Juvenile Division at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 6/17/2019. 2025 total compensation came to $97,643.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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Rita C. Murillo works as a Trial Defender 2 for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 11/15/1999. Rita earned $95,536 in 2025.
Deputy Director-Maj Felony Uni/Public Defender
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Elizabeth M Laforgia works as a Deputy Director-Maj Felony Uni for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 3/13/2017. Elizabeth earned $93,336 in 2025.
Managing Attorney/Public Defender
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Joshua R. Roberts holds the role of Managing Attorney at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 3/14/2010. In 2025, their total compensation was $92,339.
Managing Attorney/Public Defender
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Terrence P Hanna holds the role of Managing Attorney at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 8/24/2015. In 2025, their total compensation was $90,868.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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Heath E. Leff works as a Trial Defender 2 for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 6/9/2008. Heath earned $90,199 in 2025.
Trial Defender/Public Defender
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Leslie Perlow Grossman holds the role of Trial Defender at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 2/23/1987. In 2025, their total compensation was $89,637.
Director/Public Defender
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Lena M Henderson is a Director at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 11/25/1991. 2025 total compensation came to $89,110.
Manager-Pretrial/Public Defender
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Melissa Leech is a Manager-Pretrial at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 10/26/2015. 2025 total compensation came to $88,068.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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At Public Defender, Anthony J Borrero serves as a Trial Defender 2. Records show a hire date of 9/30/2002. Their 2025 pay totaled $87,437.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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Amy R. Lindberg works as a Trial Defender 2 for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 8/12/2002. Amy earned $86,648 in 2025.
Managing Attorney/Public Defender
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Adam Reynolds is a Managing Attorney at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 3/23/2015. 2025 total compensation came to $86,492.
Managing Attorney/Public Defender
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Danielle Mcnabb holds the role of Managing Attorney at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 1/3/2021. In 2025, their total compensation was $86,255.
Managing Attorney/Public Defender
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At Public Defender, Max Iverson serves as a Managing Attorney. Records show a hire date of 8/22/2022. Their 2025 pay totaled $85,505.
Managing Attorney/Public Defender
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Seth M Barkley works as a Managing Attorney for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 11/5/2018. Seth earned $84,943 in 2025.
Managing Attorney/Public Defender
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Samantha Sridaran holds the role of Managing Attorney at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 3/8/2021. In 2025, their total compensation was $84,941.
Manger of Policy/Public Defender
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Jamie Schuman is a Manger of Policy at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 9/22/2014. 2025 total compensation came to $84,818.
Trial Defender 2/Public Defender
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Barry D Wingard Jr holds the role of Trial Defender 2 at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 4/30/2001. In 2025, their total compensation was $83,832.
Managing Attorney/Public Defender
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Kevin W Lee works as a Managing Attorney for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 12/2/2013. Kevin earned $83,691 in 2025.
Trial Defender/Public Defender
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Kathleen E S Miskovich holds the role of Trial Defender at Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 12/17/1990. In 2025, their total compensation was $83,006.
Trial Defender 3/Public Defender
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Richard E. Romanko works as a Trial Defender 3 for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 6/9/2008. Richard earned $81,921 in 2025.
Manager-Trial/Public Defender
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Rachel K Crosby works as a Manager-Trial for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 10/24/2021. Rachel earned $81,398 in 2025.
Trial Defender/Public Defender
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David A. Obara works as a Trial Defender for Public Defender. Their hire date on record is 7/13/1998. David earned $81,146 in 2025.
Trial Defender 3/Public Defender
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John K Hempel is a Trial Defender 3 at Public Defender. Records show a hire date of 6/5/2017. 2025 total compensation came to $80,666.