Richard Balsley is the Executive Director of Columbia Gorge Defenders. He is a 1999 graduate of the University of Oregon, where he majored in Japanese Language and East Asian Studies. After graduation from the U of O, Richard spent three years living in northern Japan and working as an assistant language instructor through the Japan Exchange of Teachers program. He also worked as a fundraiser and volunteer laborer for Habitat for Humanity in Suva, Fiji. From 1990 until 2005 Richard worked as a PSIA Level III Certified alpine ski instructor at ski areas in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Washington and Montana.

Richard earned his Juris Doctorate from the James E. Beasley School of Law at Temple University in Philadelphia, PA. While at Temple, he concentrated on trial advocacy where he won multiple honors, including the 2006 Gideon Award for excellence in criminal defense studies. During law school Richard also represented clients charged with capital crimes as a member of the Temple University Death Penalty Clinical Program and worked as an intern for the Camden County Public Defender in Camden, New Jersey. Richard was also the Managing Editor of the Temple Journal of Science, Technology and Environmental Law.

Prior to becoming Executive Director of the Columbia Gorge Defender, Richard was an attorney in the major felony unit at the Defender Association of Philadelphia. At the Defender Association, Richard was primarily responsible for representing clients charged with crimes of sexual violence, robbery, attempted murder, the manufacture and sale of controlled substances and felony gun crimes.

Richard is homicide qualified and licensed in Oregon and Pennsylvania.

Jack Morris founded our predecessor law firm, Morris & Sullivan, PC. He graduated from Portland State University in 1979 and from Lewis and Clark Law School in 1983. Prior to beginning his practice in Hood River in 1991, Jack was a trial attorney and felony group leader with the Metropolitan Public Defender’s Office in Portland. He also served as counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee during the 1985 and 1989 legislative sessions.

Jack is a recognized leader among criminal defense attorneys in Oregon. He is a former board member and president of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association. He has served on numerous boards and committees dealing with criminal justice issues. Jack has been appointed to positions by both the Honorable Wallace Carson, former Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court, and by the Honorable Barbara Roberts, former governor of the State of Oregon.

Jack has personally handled nearly every type of criminal case that exists in the State Courts of Oregon, including a number of murder cases. He fights for the rights of the accused and advocates for fairness in the system.

Jack now represents juveniles and parents in Hood River county where he is “Of Counsel” to the firm.

T. Conor Sullivan became a member of the Oregon State Bar in 2005 after earning his Juris Doctorate at the University of Oregon School of Law. Conor's background in criminal defense began while still a law student. Prior to joining Morris & Sullivan, PC as an associate, Conor began trying criminal cases as a member of the University of Oregon's Defense Clinic and worked for the Public Defender Services of Lane County, P.C. as a law clerk. Currently, Conor's practice focuses on defending those accused of Driving Under the Influence as well as other misdemeanor and felony crimes. He is Measure 11 qualified and the senior trial attorney at the Hood River office of Columbia Gorge Defenders.

Jerrett C. Glass is a senior attorney at Columbia Gorge Defenders.

He grew up on the central Oregon coast. He is a 2009 graduate of Oregon State University, where he majored in Biology and Environmental Science. After graduation from the OSU, Jerrett earned his Juris Doctorate from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2012. He is a platypus that bleeds black and orange. While in law school Jerrett was an Associate Justice on the University’s Constitutional Court and decided and authored several opinions concerning the interpretation of the University’s Constitution. Jerrett concentrated on trial advocacy in law school, completing both the criminal defense and prosecution clinics. He went to trial multiple times as a court certified law student.

Jerrett has worked in criminal defense since 2011. He is a trial lawyer. He has handled all manner of cases to verdict throughout the state of Oregon. He has obtained acquittals in everything from low level misdemeanors to high level felonies. He genuinely enjoys trial work.

Jerrett is co-counsel homicide qualified and licensed in Oregon. He is a member of the Oregon Criminal Defense Lawyers Association.

Sean Pank is a native Oregonian and a Measure 11 qualified senior trial attorney at Columbia Gorge Defenders. Sean graduated magna cum laude from the University of Oregon in 2009 where he double majored in Economics and Political Science. He graduated cum laude with the Certificate in Criminal Law and Procedure from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2012, and became a member of the Oregon State Bar that same year.

Sean began defending clients in the criminal justice system during law school as a Certified Law Student with Metropolitan Public Defender in Washington County. Sean's interest in criminal law and defending individual rights has spanned his entire adult life. Prior to joining the firm, Sean served as Judicial Clerk for the Honorable Judith H. Matarazzo in the Multnomah County Circuit Court where he worked on cases of all types in both civil and criminal litigation.

Joshua Gums was born and raised in California’s San Joaquin Valley. He attended college at San Diego State University where he earned a degree in Political Science and also interned as a volunteer investigator for the San Diego County Office of the Public Defender.

He moved to Oregon in 2014 to attend law school at Lewis & Clark in Portland, Oregon, and knew once he arrived that he would stay in the Pacific Northwest. Joshua continued to pursue a career in criminal defense in law school, working first for the Federal Public Defender as a law clerk and Metropolitan Public Defender, Washington County as a certified law student. He came to the Gorge after passing the bar in 2017 to join Morris & Sullivan, P.C.. Joshua loves living and working in a rural area and is deeply motivated to support others who choose to live outside of main-stream urban areas. He is passionate about defending the rights of his clients against government intrusion, protecting their livelihood and property in the process. Joshua is Measure 11 qualified.

Connor McDermott grew up farming the Columbia River Gorge. He graduated from Hood River Valley High School in 2012, earned a degree in History from Bard College in 2017, and went on to earn a juris doctor cum laude from Lewis & Clark in 2021 with a Certificate in Criminal Law and Procedure. During law school, Connor was a member of the Jessup Moot Court team, externed with Judge Ann Aiken in the Federal District of Oregon, led the legal writing program as the Senior Teaching Fellow, and served as the Editor-in-Chief for the Lewis & Clark Law Review.

Before joining The Columbia Gorge Defenders, Connor was a judicial clerk for then-Judge Stephen K. Bushong in Multnomah County Circuit Court at both the presiding and trial court levels. Although now a practicing attorney, Connor continues his academic pursuits in his capacity as Managing Editor of the Criminal Law Bulletin, a peer-reviewed journal focusing on cutting-edge issues in the American criminal system. Connor is felony qualified and dedicated to defending constitutional liberties and statutory rights.

Derek Whitmire was born and raised in Texas. He graduated from Texas A&M University in 2014 and graduated cum laude from the University of Houston Law Center in 2019. During law school, he was an active in trial-skills competitions and was awarded the Order of the Barristers for excellence in advocacy, as well as Order of the Barons for excellence in academics. He still is a volunteer mock trial coach for the UHLC Mock Trial Team. After law school, he clerked for the (now) Chief Judge of the Western District of Texas, the Honorable Alia Moses. Following his clerkship, Derek was an assistant public defender in Harris County, Texas for multiple years. 

Derek moved to the Gorge and joined the firm in 2024. He is felony qualified in Oregon, and has extensive experience with negotiations and trial, including multiple murder trials in Texas. Derek lives for the courtroom, and he loves the mental and emotional reward of finding creative solutions for clients and of communicating options and strategies in a way that is approachable and informative. He looks forward to continuing to take the fight against everyone who tries to impinge on the rights of anyone.

Kelly Tedeschi-Bowman was raised in the Midwest but moved to Oregon for college and then never left. She attended college at Oregon State University, double majoring in Psychology and Human Development & Family Science. She stayed at OSU and earned her master’s degree in School Counseling before working as a school counselor in the Willamette Valley for three years. While Kelly has always been passionate about working with children and families, her interest in the legal system started after working at CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for two years.

Kelly attended law school at the University of Oregon with the goal of becoming a juvenile defender. During law school, she interned at The Gault Center (formerly National Juvenile Defender Center), Juvenile Law Center, and the Oregon Innocence Project. She served as a student representative on the Oregon State Bar Juvenile Law Section Executive Committee and supported her peers engaged in public interest law as Co-Director of the Oregon Law Students Public Interest Fund. Kelly graduated Order of the Coif, passed the Oregon bar exam, and moved to the Columbia River Gorge in 2024.

Kelly represents clients in misdemeanor criminal, misdemeanor delinquency, and dependency cases.

Rylin Smith is a life-long Oregonian from the Portland metro area. Rylin graduated magna cum laude from Portland State University in 2021 with a degree in Political Science and Criminal Justice. Rylin then went on to attend Willamette University where she graduated with her Juris Doctorate and a certificate in Government Law in 2024. During her time in law school, Rylin was on the board for her school's Public Interest Law Project and the Oregon Criminal Defense Law Student Association. She did a year-long internship with the Oregon Innocence Project where she investigated claims of innocence for post-conviction relief. 

Rylin is misdemeanor qualified and is looking forward to gaining experience while practicing in the beautiful Columbia Gorge.  

Jessica is Columbia Gorge Defenders’ Office Manager. She likes unicorns.

Maria is a legal assistant in the Hood River office. Ella habla español.

Tina is a legal assistant in the Hood River office.

Carlos is our in-house bi-lingual investigator. He works out of both offices.

Kathy is a legal assistant in The Dalles office.

Kerry is a legal assistant in The Dalles office.

Karla is a legal assistant in The Dalles office. Ella habla español.

Jose DeLeon is the owner of DeLeon Investigations and works with Columbia Gorge Defenders as an independent contractor. He has over 30 years of experience as a private investigator and is licensed with the State of Oregon. We retain Jose’s services on a monthly basis to always have him available to us and to our clients. We also hire DeLeon Investigations on Measure 11 and Homicide cases with additional funding from OPDC.