Jessica Chapman is a fellow with ALDF’s Criminal Justice Program. She works with the department to address crimes against animals, and partners with stakeholders across the criminal justice system to resolve both the impetus and impact of animal cruelty. She received her JD from Michigan State University College of Law and her Animal Law LLM from Lewis & Clark Law School.

Mary E. Coalson is a License Professional Counselor with the Area Agency on Aging Region One and received her master’s in professional counseling from Grand Canyon University. She has over 30 years’ experience in the social services field with 11 at the Area Agency on Aging, . Mary co-created and facilitates the Hoarding Therapy Program, which focuses on Maricopa County residents 60 and over. Mary also co-created the Network for Hoarding Professionals, a national support and resource group for those working with people living with hoarding Disorder. Mary has spoken at local and national conferences with the focus of understanding Hoarding Disorder (object) and finding positive solutions for all involved.   

Honorable Gerald A. Williams - North Valley Justice of the Peace Gerald A. Williams was appointed in April 2004. He was then elected to his current position in the Fall of 2004, and has been reelected ever since. He is a former Associate Presiding Justice of the Peace of the Maricopa County Justice Courts.

Prior to his appointment, Judge Williams was the staff attorney for the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct. While there he represented the commission in seven formal public cases against judges and helped review more than 500 ethics complaints against judges throughout the state of Arizona. He has also served as a staff attorney for the Department of Veterans Affairs Regional Counsel's Office in Phoenix.

Judge Williams received an undergraduate degree from Oklahoma State University and earned his law degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Law. While in law school, he served as managing editor of Oklahoma Law Review.

Judge Williams began his legal career in the United States Air Force, where he served as a Judge Advocate General or "JAG." As an Air Force attorney, he prosecuted and defended criminal cases and served as a medical law consultant. Judge Williams retired from the Air Force Reserve as a Lieutenant Colonel.

Judge Williams is actively involved in efforts to improve the judicial branch. He served on committees that wrote the Justice Court Rules of Civil Procedure, the Rules of Procedure for Eviction Actions, and the rules for the Constable Ethics, Standards, and Training Board. Judge Williams is a faculty member for the Arizona New Judge Orientation Course and also served on the Arizona Supreme Court’s DUI Case Processing Committee.

In June 2019, the State Bar of Arizona award him the Justice Michael D. Ryan Award for Judicial Excellence. Along with two other judges, Judge Williams received the Chief Justice’s 2015 Strategic Agenda Award for Enhancing Professionalism within Arizona’s Courts. He was named the 2013 Arizona Justice of the Peace of the Year.

He has also been involved in community activities for several years. He is active in the American Legion and at the First United Methodist Church in Glendale. Judge Williams volunteers as a trial judge for the high school Arizona Mock Trial Tournament and as a Law Merit Badge Counselor for the Boy Scouts. His articles have appeared in various legal publications, including the Arizona Attorney magazine. He also writes a monthly newspaper and magazine column.

Lydia Peirce Linsmeier is a Partner in the Tempe office of Carpenter Hazlewood Delgado & Bolen LLP. Lydia began her legal career as a sole practitioner concentrating on animal and equine law. In 2011, Lydia joined a Valley firm and developed a unique practice area that is sensitive to the role of animals in a community association setting.

As part of the insurance defense practice group, Lydia successfully defends claims in both state and federal court, and the Office of Administrative Hearings. Lydia’s general counsel foundation and in-depth understanding of Arizona community association law makes her ideal for representing the interests of associations at every stage, from pre-litigation to trial.

Lydia is passionate about fair housing and disability access issues, and teaches fair housing seminars to managers, associations, and the public. Assistance and service animals are always a contentious issue, and Lydia enjoys educating associations locally and nationally on how to best implement both the spirit and law of the Fair Housing Act.

Currently serving on the Executive Committee of the State Bar of Arizona Animal Law Section, Lydia routinely teaches and writes on animal law topics, including her ‘Community Animal’ column. She spends her spare time hanging out with a variety of mutts and attempting to grow antique roses.