Jennifer Bias

Jennifer Bias joined the Wisconsin State Public Defender in 1987 after receiving her degree at the University of Iowa Law School. Assigned to the Racine region as an assistant state public defender, Jennifer enjoyed serving clients in all of the case types the SPD is authorized to handle. She also served as local attorney manager from 1993-1995 and then regional attorney manager from 1995-2000. Jennifer was promoted to SPD Administration in 2000 and served in several different roles with the Agency Leadership Team (ALT), including Community Justice Initiatives Director, Affirmative Action Officer and Deputy Trial DIvision Director. Jennifer was selected by the State Public Defender Board in June 2024 to lead the OSPD.

During her time on ALT, Jennifer received gubernatorial appointments to the following groups: Governor’s Pardon Advisory Board, Governor’s Juvenile Justice Commission, Commission to Reduce Racial Disparity in the Wisconsin Criminal Justice System and the subsequent Oversight Commission, and the Governor's Task Force on Racial Profiling. She was a team member assigned to investigate conduct matters at Southern Oaks Girls School in 2004.

In 2015, Jennifer was appointed Trial Division Director. Jennifer served on the State Bar’s Professional Ethics and Bench Bar committees. Jennifer presents at the Annual Public Defender Conference and external training events on topics such as motion practice, implicit bias, and ethics. She presents the “Best Defense Is No Offense” program to young people at schools, churches and community centers.

In recognition of her commitment to community service, Jennifer received the following awards: Racine Journal Times Award-2003; Racine Interfaith Coalition Freedom Award-2002; NAACP Attorney Ted Harris Award-2001; and the YWCA Women of Distinction Award-2001. Jennifer was named a Leader in the Law by the Wisconsin Law Journal in 2014. She was awarded the Kutak-Dodds Prize by the National Legal Aid and Defender Association in 2020.

Jennifer was born in Milwaukee, but attended K-12 schools in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and almost every summer visited family in Wisconsin. Jennifer earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. She received her juris doctorate from the University of Iowa. She lives in Mt. Pleasant with her husband and daughter.