NEWS RELEASE Jan, 2, 2015
(Phoenix, AZ) With the new year begins a new era in the Arizona Attorney General’s Office. Attorney General-elect Mark Brnovich added three more staff members as he prepares to take office on Monday.
Zora Manjencich will join the Attorney General’s Office as the Assistant Chief of the Child Safety Division. Manjencich spent nine years at the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office handling high-profile sex crime cases in the East Valley. She once tried and convicted a child predator who was featured on America’s Most Wanted and earned the Crime Victims’ Rights Special Award. Manjencich most recently worked as a litigator at a local law firm. Manjencich is actively involved with organizations that advocate for children with both physical and learning disabilities.
“Zora’s experience prosecuting child predators demonstrates to me that she is the ideal person to work alongside John Johnson in the Child Safety Division,” said Brnovich. “The fact that she devotes her own time to standing up for children in our community proves that her passion for youth goes beyond any job title.”
Maria Syms will serve as Legal Policy Advisor. Syms is currently a councilwoman-elect for the Town of Paradise Valley and recently earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. Syms’ impressive resume includes serving as an Assistant United State Attorney in Los Angeles. She both enforced the law and saved taxpayer money by aiding in the dismissal of frivolous lawsuits. She has experience working as a Law Clerk within the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit where she analyzed and researched cases and legal issues presented to the court, drafted opinions and orders, and briefed a federal judge in preparation for oral argument. Syms also practiced law at a private firm in Hawaii, advocating for businesses of varying sizes.
General Brnovich named Jennifer Perkins the Assistant Solicitor General for Attorney General Opinions. Perkins comes to the team from her role as Of Counsel at an appellate law firm in Phoenix. She previously spent five years with the Arizona Commission on Judicial Conduct as Disciplinary Counsel and Staff Attorney. In that role she investigated, prosecuted and provided resolutions in all statewide judicial misconduct complaints. She also served as as a staff attorney with the Arizona Chapter of the Institute for Justice for five years.
“Selecting the very best people to serve our state has been an exciting task,” Brnovich added. “I become more confident in my team with each new hire.”
