Member of the Month: Romy Bernard-Tucker, Office of Public Health and Safety
Martine Romy Bernard-Tucker currently serves as the Director of the Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS).
Though an American-born citizen, Romy lived in Port-au-Prince, Haiti until she turned 19. She moved from Haiti to Berea, Kentucky, where she earned her B.A. magna cum laude from Berea College. She then moved to Indiana, where she earned her J.D. cum laude from Indiana University Maurer School of Law in 2011. She is licensed to practice in the State of Indiana and the United States Southern District of Indiana.
Before joining the OPHS team, Romy was a lawyer at the Marion County Public Defender Agency where she started in May 2012 until December 2022. There, she litigated over 3,000 cases and has tried over 50.
Romy has taught at the Indiana Public Defender Council Trial Practice Institute. She has volunteered previously at the Immigrant Welcome Center, the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic, and the Indianapolis Legal Aid Society.
Romy is passionate about languages and is fluent in French, Haitian Creole, and English. She is conversational in Spanish and hopes one day to learn Italian and Mandarin. She loves to travel.
Romy and her amazingly supportive husband are proud to raise their two wonderful children in Indianapolis.
Tell us a little bit about the Office of Public Health and Safety and what your department does?
The Office of Public Health and Safety (OPHS) addresses the root causes of crime and addiction. We have 5 divisions; Reentry, Communication Nutrition and Food Policy, Community Violence Reduction, Homelessness and Eviction Prevention, and Behavioral Health. We come up with creative ways to tackle social issues that affect vulnerable populations.
What do you find most satisfying about your practice?
I was a Public Defender for 10.5 years. I often felt limited in how I could help clients, because, by the time the client came to me, too man things had gone wrong. There were only so many ways I could help. Now, at OPHS, I can help craft programs that help people before they become potential defendants in a criminal case, or before they become victims. We can address issues to specifically help individuals become better versions of themselves.
Why did you become an attorney?
I grew up in Haiti, where it was common for presidents to create their own constitutions. I remember hearing many instances where someone’s wife got arrested when the police came looking for their husband who was nowhere to be found. People were taken advantage of without consequences. So, I decided to be a lawyer to help people who didn’t have a voice. I like fighting for the underdog, and my work at the Public Defender Agency and at OPHS have allowed me to fulfill that mission. Everyone deserves to have someone fight for them.
What do you like to do outside of work?
I am a mom to a four-year-old boy and a two-year-old girl, so that’s my other full time job. I spend a lot of time with them. My husband and I love to travel and our children, thankfully, inherited that gene too. So, we do two to three family trips a year. I love to exercise so that time is on my personal calendar. I love to organize spaces around me (especially when I am stressed). And finally, I love a good bottle of cabernet sauvignon.
What about your career brings you the most joy?
The idea of fighting for someone that society gave up on, or of crafting programs that really will make a positive difference in someone’s life. I really get to be creative in how issues are solved.
Have you always wanted to work in government or public interest roles?
Yes. I have always wanted a career with a sense of a higher purpose.
As a working mother and lawyer, do you have any advice to offer other lawyers who are working mothers?
Work-life balance. It should exist because it’s important. Women should feel free to set boundaries. For instance, I put my kids’ drop off and pick up times on calendar, so that people know that I am not available for meetings at that time. And I am not shy about it. It specifically refers to “daycare/school.” Of course, things happen and sometimes I have to make arrangements to attend an early (or a late) meeting. But I should not have to apologize for having to fulfill my duties as a mom. But, in addition to that advice, I think it’s important to understand that, on top of being a mother and a lawyer, you are also a person. So, you have to allow time in your life for you to just be a person (not someone’s mom, not someone’s lawyer). Self-care is not selfish. I am a better mom and a better lawyer/director when I can, occasionally, just be a human.
What do you know now that you wish you knew when you were starting out as a lawyer?
The art of saying "Nope, I'm not doing that today."
You like to travel, do you have any upcoming trips?
Yes! We are going to San Diego for Spring Break. Then, in the summer, we will be traveling to Brussels for our annual, French-speaking country visit - we are raising our kids to be bilingual (French and English). I will have to plan some time for just me and my husband to take a trip too, but that’s a (fun) project for later in the year.
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