Natasha M. Dartigue is the current Maryland State Public Defender whose six-year appointment term began on July 1, 2022. Ms. Dartigue is a 1995 graduate of the Howard University School of Law. Upon law school graduation she clerked in the Baltimore City Circuit Court for the late Judge Roger W. Brown. Subsequently, she began working at the Office of the Public Defender in Baltimore City. Ms. Dartigue has worked as a trial attorney in the juvenile, district and circuit court divisions. She has also served as felony trial supervisor, Deputy District Public Defender for Baltimore City, and Acting District Public Defender before accepting the position of Maryland State Public Defender in May 2022. Ms. Dartigue is the first person of color to lead the Maryland Office of the Public Defender. Ms. Dartigue, who is the daughter of Haitian immigrants, has highlighted the importance of her historic appointment, noting that it “redefines what leadership looks like and expands the possibilities for Black and brown children.” She adds that it “especially provides hope to children of immigrants, who are often overlooked and undervalued, that opportunities do exist.”
Ms. Dartigue is an alumna of the Greater Baltimore Committee’s Leadership Program, a social enterprise that develops, engages, and connects Baltimore’s most talented individuals to increase their potential as leaders within the community and their organizations to better the Baltimore region. At work and in the community, much of Ms. Dartigue’s energy is devoted to providing individuals with the tools to be successful. She is a community advocate, active member leader of various professional organizations including the Maryland State Bar Association (MSBA), Bar Association for Baltimore City, Monumental City Bar Association, Alliance of Black Women Attorneys, the Maryland Criminal Defense Attorneys Association and the Women’s Bar Association. She serves on the MSBA Board of Governors Executive Council, is a member of the MSBA Criminal Law & Practice Section Council, an MSBA Fellow and current President of the Baltimore City Bar Foundation.
She serves as Board member of several organizations including Maryland Youth and the Law (MYLAW), Associated Black Charities, Innovation Works, and the Loyola Blakefield Board of Trustees. She is Past President of the Monumental City Bar Association and Past Co-Chair of the Bench-Bar Committee of the Bar Association of Baltimore City. Ms. Dartigue also serves as an Executive Mentor for Innovation Works (IW). As an IW mentor Ms. Dartigue plays a critical role in providing support to aspiring and established social enterprise leaders seeking to strengthen their social impact strategies and maintain financial sustainability. Additionally, she is a social equity strategist who creates workshops to promote shared understanding and greater awareness of diversity, equity and inclusion issues. She provides implicit bias trainings and leadership development instruction at local, state and national conferences.
For her significant accomplishments, outstanding leadership and dedicated public service, Ms. Dartigue has received various awards and acknowledgements from the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, National Association of Public Defenders and the Baltimore City Department of Recreation & Parks. Ms. Dartigue was also recognized as Government Lawyer of the Year by the Bar Association of Baltimore City. In 2018 the Maryland Daily Record bestowed Ms. Dartigue the Leadership in Law Award. She was also named one of The Daily Record’s (TDR) 2018 Top 100 Women. In 2022, Ms. Dartigue was again recognized for her significant contributions in the field of law by TDR and selected as a 2022 Influential Marylander honoree. She continues to be a trailblazer acknowledged by the Baltimore Sun as one of “25 Black Marylanders to Watch in 2023” and recognized by the Women’s Law Center as a 2023 Access to Justice Awardee. She continues to work tirelessly on behalf of indigent individuals and disenfranchised communities. Ms. Dartigue was again honored as one of TDR’s 2024 Top 100 Women and has been named on the 2024 Criminal Law Power List for creating change, impacting the community and engaging others to succeed.
