Sue Bell Cobb
Judge Sue Bell Cobb is the first Executive Director of Redemption Earned, leading the pursuit of its mission and vision. She was the driving force behind the creation of the organization as a mechanism to proactively address obstacles within the justice system that continue to prevent worthy incarcerated adults from becoming productive citizens. Judge Cobb became the first female chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court, serving from 2007-2011.
Judge Cobb began her judicial career when she was appointed as a judge in Conecuh County District Court as the youngest judge in the history of Alabama, where she served until 1995. Cobb took trial judge assignments all over Alabama, hearing cases in 40 of 67 counties over her career. In 1994, Cobb ran her first statewide race and was elected to the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals, where she spent two terms (1995-2007) and was the first woman elected to that position. During her tenure on the criminal appellate court, she focused on the safety of Alabama’s children, and joined with other child advocates in forming the Alabama Children First Foundation, which provides the only full-time lobbyist for children at the Alabama Legislature. She remains passionate about children’s issues and is active on the Children First board.
During her tenure as the head of the Unified Judicial System, Chief Justice Cobb focused on the court’s role in the overcrowding of Alabama adult and juvenile correctional facilities. She championed the Juvenile Justice Reform Act of 2008 which has reduced the number of juveniles in Department of Youth Systems by over two-thirds and allowed fo the reinvestment of those dollars in local and more-effective alternatives to lock-up. Juvenile crime has gone down. She made the creation of “courts of accountability”, such as model drug courts, a major priority, thus earning her the “Taking Drug Courts to Scale Award” by the NADCP for the greatest increase in drug courts in the nation. She advocated for the expansion of community corrections programs and sentencing reform.
Now, Chief Justice Cobb has turned her attention to the plight of the hundreds of “aged & infirmed” incarcerated adults in Alabama’s prisons, serving as the first executive director of Redemption Earned, Inc. She is convinced that assisting worthy, elderly incarcerated adults transition to nursing homes is the “right thing to do for all the right reasons”.
Judge Cobb is married to Bill Cobb, who has been an amazing partner in all of her reform efforts, and together they have three children and four grandchildren.
Paige Duncan
Paige Duncan serves as a staff attorney for Redemption Earned. While dedicating her entire career to advocating for individuals that find themselves in the criminal justice system, Paige witnessed firsthand the hardships that these individuals face. Often, these individuals are never given a fair shot or second chance. Paige joined Redemption Earned to further the mission to give deserving individuals a purpose beyond the prison walls. After graduating from the University of Alabama and Samford University’s
Cumberland School of Law, Paige began her career at the Tuscaloosa County Public Defender’s Office. During her time as a public defender, she represented hundreds of clients and became well-versed in every aspect of the criminal justice system. With the skills she acquired serving as a public defender, Paige opened her own law firm, Duncan Law. Despite being in private practice, she continued providing defense to the indigent. Paige was appointed to all types of cases ranging from traffic tickets to capital murder. Paige also worked on countless juvenile delinquent cases and served as a guardian ad litem. In 2021, Paige relocated to Florida to join her husband, a U.S. Marine, based at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola. During her time out of state, Paige became a temporary member of the Florida Bar, and continued to provide legal assistance to several clients in Alabama. After completing his military service, Paige and her husband returned to their home state of Alabama along with their three children and two poodles.
Brandy Grondin
Brandy Grondin serves as the staff attorney for Redemption Earned. She has a passion for advocacy on behalf of those who are the forgotten in the criminal justice system. Her love for this work has providentially connected her with the valiant efforts of Redemption Earned.
A graduate of the University of Alabama School of Law, Brandy spent eight years of her legal career with the Tuscaloosa County Office of Public Defender. She represented indigent clients who faced charges ranging from misdemeanor DUIs to felony-murder. The scope of this representation included advocating, not only for someone’s innocence at trial, but also for mitigation of sentences, for probation or for the status of youthful offender. Brandy firmly believes in the possibility of rehabilitation and transformation of someone despite their past. She has fought hard during her years as a public defender to help her clients prove to the court that they are capable of change and becoming a productive member of the community, and that there are viable alternatives to lengthy terms of incarceration.
In addition to her work as a criminal defense attorney, Brandy currently serves on the board for JUMPSTART Alabama, a prison ministry program that strives to break the back of recidivism in this State. She works alongside formerly incarcerated individuals who want to be successful and believe in the power of redemption. The JUMPSTART Alabama program consists of two phases. The first phase is a yearlong, Bible-centered, intensive discipleship for participants currently serving time inside the prison. The second phase is a one-to-two-year, Christ-centered program that provides a safe and stable environment for people in transition after incarceration. Brandy devotes much of her time to the case management, financial stability training and community service components of the outside program for this ministry.
As the staff attorney for Redemption Earned, Brandy supervises volunteer law students for the WIN Program, which helps clients overcome obstacles that hinder their qualifying for work-release while they serve their time in the Alabama Department of Corrections. She also focuses on the primary directive of Redemption Earned in advocating for and helping the “aged & infirmed” incarcerated adults in Alabama prisons earn parole and transition into nursing home facilities.
Brandy Grondin is a member of the Brent Presbyterian Mission Church, where she enjoys using her undergraduate degree in music by playing piano for the Sunday morning services.
Ashleigh Woodham
Ashleigh is an attorney for Redemption Earned. After graduating from the University of Virginia, she attended law school at Cumberland School of Law, where she was the Research and Writing Editor for The American Journal of Trial Advocacy. Ashleigh spent the first five years of her legal career as a civil defense attorney before redirecting her career to addressing problems with the criminal justice system.
Ashleigh is dedicated to helping those who would otherwise have no voice. Her practice at Redemption Earned focuses on the parole program, and she is our primary attorney for advocating at parole hearings and filing petitions.