Accreditation and Grants Manager appointed Association President

Press release from Alachua County

ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – Alachua County Accreditation and Grants Manager Ashley Baird was recently appointed as the new president of the Association of Pretrial Professionals of Florida (APPF). 

Beginning in 1989, as the Florida Association of Pretrial Service Agencies (FAPSA), APPF’s mission is “to enhance professionalism through training and utilization of evidence-based practices that promote non-secured release and public safety.” 

APPF provides members and pretrial practitioners with professional abilities to serve the courts and the community in pretrial investigation, jail diversion, and community supervision. APPF also assists with expanding, educating, and enhancing pretrial programs in Florida. 

The APPF president is responsible for appointing one Florida Corrections Accreditation Commission (FCAC) commissioner as a representative of the association. The APPF president also represents the association in all matters and as a liaison to the National Association of Pretrial Service Agencies (NAPSA) and maintains contact with the NAPSA southern regional director.    

Baird recently assisted the Alachua County Department of Court Services achieve their FCAC and NAPSA re-accreditations in 2023. Accredited programs are recognized as maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and employing evidence-based practices that have been determined to achieve the best results. 

”I am very excited about my new role as the APPF president and am determined to execute systematic change that not only will positively affect the association and Florida pretrial agencies, but the County and Department of Court Services as well,“ Baird said.