Judge Julio Valdez
Judge Valdez was born in Guanajuato, Mexico, and came to the U.S. with his parents when he was four years old. He grew up in Elgin and decided at a young age that he wanted to be a lawyer. After obtaining his law degree from the University of Iowa, Judge Valdez practiced law for 21 years, handling worker’s comp, personal injury, real estate, family law, criminal law, and immigration cases. He also volunteered throughout the Elgin community, serving on the Board of Directors for Centro de Informacion and for Elgin Community Bikes, which introduces children to bike riding. In December 2019, Judge Valdez was appointed as an Associate Judge to the Aurora Branch Court. This was followed in August 2022 by an Illinois Supreme Court appointment to a Circuit Judge position over the Elgin Branch Court. Judge Valdez continues to speak at school and youth organizations throughout the community.
Judge Sandra Parga
Judge Sandra Parga completed her law degree at Cornell University and returned to Illinois to practice law. For 23 years, she specialized in a variety of cases, including criminal defense, family law, probate matters, and administrative hearings. Judge Parga is bilingual, and in 2013, she received the Kane County Pro Bono Attorney Award for her volunteer work, which included 7 years Prairie State Legal Services’ Spanish Clinic. In 2017, she was appointed as an Associate Judge in Kane County and has served in the Juvenile Justice Court for the last three years. Judge Parga was the first Latina judge in Kane County and is a member of the Language Access Committee, Juvenile Track Workgroup, New Judge Orientation Committee, and Biennial Juvenile Conference.
Dr. Alexandra Tsang, Psy.D.
Dr. Alexandra Tsang, Psy.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist with a specialization in forensic psychology. Currently, she is Director and Chief Psychologist at the Kane County Diagnostic Center. In her 25 years as a psychologist, she has conducted numerous assessments and evaluations. including fitness to stand trial, sanity, custody, violence risk, school shooting threat, and juvenile transfer. She has helped to establish programs for juveniles in detention and has testified as an expert witness on numerous occasions. In addition to her KCDC position, Dr. Tsang has a forensic psychology private practice where she conducts forensic assessments for other governmental jurisdictions. She is a member of the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force, as well as a member of the Hostage Negotiations Team.
Jamie Mosser
Jamie Mosser graduated from Illinois State University and DePaul University College of Law. After serving as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans, she moved back to Illinois in 2005 and became a prosecutor in the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office. As a prosecutor for 10 years, she worked in various units including domestic violence, DUI, drug rehabilitation court, felony, and special prosecution (arson and auto theft). In 2009, she became head of the Domestic Violence Unit where she prosecuted misdemeanor and felony crimes. In 2015, Jamie left the prosecutor’s office to work in private practice and in legal aid at Prairie State Legal Services. In November 2020, she was elected as the Kane County State’s Attorney.
Amy Johnson
Undersheriff
Amy Johnson began her career at the Kane County Sheriff’s Office in 2003 as an intern and was hired that same year as a civilian evidence custodian. Right away, she started working to become a sworn police officer and became a deputy the next year. During her 20 years at the sheriff’s office, she has had many duties, including patrol officer, officer in charge (OIC), investigator/detective, crime scene evidence technician, field training officer, and juvenile officer. She is a member of the Kane County Major Crimes Task Force as a crime scene investigator. Undersheriff Johnson is currently working on the publication of her dissertation for her Ph.D. in Public Policy for Leadership and Management. She teaches courses at Aurora University and Northwestern University.