juvenile waiver Training Faculty

Elizabeth “Libby” Rapkoch, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist and Oregon Certified Forensic Evaluator with over 20 years of experience working with children and adolescents in clinical and forensic settings. Libby received her doctoral degree from Pacific University in 2007 where she focused her research and clinical training on the impacts of trauma on young people. She completed her postdoctoral residency at Oregon Youth Authority (OYA) in 2009 and returned to OYA as a contracted psychologist from 2012 to 2021, providing psychological evaluation, consultation, and training. Over the years, Libby has also provided clinical, forensic, supervision, and/or administrative services to various organizations and institutions, including Trillium Family Services, St. Mary’s Home for Boys, Coffee Creek Correctional Facility, and Reed College. Libby currently maintains a private practice focused on child and adolescent mental health, and juvenile forensic issues. Her forensic work includes juvenile waiver, fitness to proceed, mitigation, psychosexual risk, and violence risk assessments. She also provides expert witness, consultation, and training on topics related to juvenile forensic and mental health concerns.

Kathie “K.O.” Berger, Criminal Defense Attorney is a criminal defense attorney who specializes in representing juveniles charged with serious offenses. Kathie worked for 15 years for Juvenile Rights Project (nkaYouth, Rights and Justice) where she was instrumental in the efforts to begin the juvenile PSRB as well as establishing the procedures when youth are not competent to stand trial. She left JRP in 2005 to open her own office to represent persons charged with Aggravated Murder. Kathie has been presenting the research about adolescent brain research in courts since 2006 and she was the lead trial counsel in State v. J.C.N.-V. (In re J.C.N.-V.). She was one of the defense attorneys on the workgroup that produced SB 1008 (2019). Kathie is now the juvenile justice resource counsel for defense attorneys, providing mentoring and case support all over the state. She is the OCDLA representative on the OYA Partnership Committee, a member of the OCDLA Legislative Committee, a frequent lecturer on juvenile defense issues and is on the faculty at the Trial Lawyers’ College in Wyoming.

Brendan Murphy, Chief Deputy District Attorney in Marion County, Oregon, who supervises the multiple trial divisions of the Marion County District Attorney’s Office, including domestic violence, child and sexual abuse, complex felony, and juvenile divisions. He also oversees Marion County’s officer involved use of deadly force protocols, Brady protocols, and public records. He has been a DDA for over 15 years. In addition to criminal prosecution, he is co-chair of Marion County’s Child Abuse Response Team. He is co-author of Oregon’s Bar Book 2017 chapter on crossover youth, which are foster kids also involved in criminal activity. He served on the Canby School Board from 2011-2015. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Liberty House, which is Marion County’s child abuse assessment center.

Brian Hartman, PsyD earned his doctorate from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology at Argosy University, Schaumburg in 2005. His clinical training involved working with both inpatient and community deaf specialty programs in Chicago, as well as being the first intern in the Deaf Link program at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center. Dr. Hartman was initially licensed as a psychologist in 2008. He worked for 13 years as a psychologist in the forensic program at the Oregon State Hospital while maintaining a private practice, with an emphasis on serving the Deaf community. In late 2019 he left OSH to begin full-time private practice in Arizona. He became the supervising psychologist for the Oregon Youth Authority in July 2021. Dr. Hartman’s practice specialty is assessment, particularly in forensic and correctional contexts. In 2011 he published seminal research into seclusion and restraint rates of deaf and hard of hearing individuals in inpatient psychiatric settings. When not working, he can be found spending time with his teenage daughter, their dogs, or out riding his motorcycle.  

Elizabeth “Liz” Schwarz, LCSW works with the Oregon Youth Authority for the last four years, currently serving as the Interim Chief of Operations for the Development Services division.  Shecompleted her Master’s in Social Work at the University of Maine and has spent the last 15+ years supervising programs across the spectrum of mental health settings, including psychiatric residential, juvenile justice, intensive in-home settings, and crisis response.   Liz enjoys traveling, reading, crafting, and walks with her two dogs in her time away from work.

Judge Erik Buchér grew up in Eugene, OR.  He graduated from Oregon State University in 1997 and then graduated from the University of Oregon School of Law in 2000.  As a lawyer, he practiced predominantly in Washington County, representing juveniles in delinquency cases, parents and children in dependency cases, and adults in criminal court matters.  In 2017, Governor Kate Brown appointed Judge Buchér to the Washington County Circuit Court.  From 2017 to 2020, Judge Buchér was the Juvenile Circuit Court Judge, presiding over dependency and delinquency matters.  In 2020, he was moved over to general trial rotation, hearing adult criminal and civil cases.  Judge Buchér has presided over one juvenile waiver hearing, in which the youth was waived to adult court. 

Judge Brandon Thompson grew up in the Seattle area and graduated from Lewis & Clark Law School in 2001.  He spent seven years as a Deputy District Attorney in Multnomah and Polk Counties.  He was a contract public defender and handled plaintiffs’ personal injury cases for two years and then spent eight years as inhouse counsel for Farmers Insurance.  When Governor Brown appointed him to the Washington County Circuit Court in 2020, he was assigned to juvenile court and was the first judge to waive a youth into adult court under the 2019 changes in juvenile law.  He is currently the Chief Criminal and Deputing Presiding judge in Washington County.