WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb today announced the appointments of six individuals to the Office of the Attorney General’s (OAG) senior leadership team.
“Washington, D.C. and its residents deserve the best legal representation advocating for their interests,” said AG Schwalb. “Each member of our leadership team brings a depth of experience, legal acumen, perspective and passion that contributes to our office’s ability to achieve its mission: fighting for justice, equity and the rule of law, providing extraordinary legal advice and defense to D.C. government, and protecting vulnerable communities across the District.”
Seth Rosenthal | Chief Deputy Attorney General
Seth Rosenthal now serves as Chief Deputy Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Mr. Rosenthal will report directly to the Attorney General and help lead the agency’s operations and legal practice, as OAG continues to provide top-tier legal services to District residents, District of Columbia government, and the Council. Mr. Rosenthal joins OAG from Venable LLP. As a litigation partner in the firm’s Washington, D.C. office for 16 years, he handled a wide array of criminal and civil matters and ran the firm’s pro bono program. Previously, Mr. Rosenthal spent nearly 10 years in the Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division where he enforced the nation’s fair housing and fair lending laws, prosecuted federal crimes involving police misconduct, racially motivated violence, and human trafficking, and served on the attorney general’s task force that investigated allegations regarding the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Early in his career, Mr. Rosenthal litigated death penalty and jail reform cases at the Southern Center for Human Rights in Atlanta.
He received his J.D. from Harvard Law School and holds an A.B. in History from Dartmouth College.
Lauren Haggerty | Chief of Staff & Senior Counsel
Lauren Haggerty now serves as Chief of Staff and Senior Counsel to the Attorney General for the District of Columbia, taking on primary responsibility for OAG’s legislative, communications, and community engagement efforts, as well as a leadership role in OAG’s legal work. Ms. Haggerty has worked at OAG for approximately five years, most recently serving as the Special Counsel for Public Safety and Youth Initiatives and previously serving as a Trial Attorney in OAG’s Domestic Violence and Special Victim’s Section. Before her time at OAG, Ms. Haggerty served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Crimes Against Children Division at the Dallas County District Attorney’s Office in Dallas, Texas.
She earned her J.D. from the Loyola University New Orleans College of Law and her B.A. in English from Rutgers University.
Tracy Ballard | Senior Advisor to the Attorney General
Tracy Ballard now serves as Senior Advisor to the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Ms. Ballard will serve as a key advisor to AG Schwalb on an array of policy, legal, and operational issues, including OAG’s community engagement and external affairs. Ms. Ballard most recently served as General Counsel for Nightingale Partners, a D.C.-based advisory firm that directs investments in social determinants of health and medically underserved communities. Previously, she worked as an Attorney Advisor at the U.S. Federal Trade Commission where she advised successive Commissioners on antitrust issues related to high-value merger transactions and enforcement proceedings, and prior to that as an associate attorney in the antitrust group at Clifford Chance. Ms. Ballard also served as the President of the Board of Directors of Calvary Women’s Services, a D.C. non-profit that offers transitional housing, health care, education, and employment support to unhoused women.
She earned her J.D. from Harvard Law School and her B.A. in English from Cornell University.
Dipa Mehta | Senior Advisor to the Attorney General
Dipa Mehta now serves as Senior Advisor to the Attorney General for the District of Columbia. Ms. Mehta will serve as a key advisor to AG Schwalb on an array of policy, legal, and operational issues, including OAG’s communications and external affairs. Ms. Mehta most recently served as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for single member district 3F03 and, prior to that, as a founding Board Member of Van Ness Main Street, a non-profit whose mission is to promote small businesses, local sustainability, and smart development. She also recently worked as the Business and Legal Advisor to Bread Furst bakery in Van Ness. Previously, she was an Associate at Cleary Gottlieb where she represented clients before the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission in connection with proposed transactions. Ms. Mehta began her career at United Technologies, serving as in-house counsel for mergers and acquisitions in the United States, Middle East, and Africa.
She earned her J.D. from the University of Connecticut School of Law and her B.A. in Political Science from Fairfield University.
Aaron Jenkins | Community Engagement Director
Aaron Jenkins now serves as Community Engagement Director to the Attorney General for the District of Columbia where he leads OAG’s efforts to elicit community feedback, build relationships with community partners, and inform the community about OAG programs and resources. Mr. Jenkins most recently served as the Chief Executive Officer of North Star Strategies and was previously the Vice President of Policy and Advocacy for The Expectations Project (TEP), a national non-profit organization that educates and trains faith-motivated advocates to help eliminate educational inequality in low-income public schools. Prior to joining TEP, Mr. Jenkins was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve as Director of the White House Center for Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships at the United States Department of Commerce. Mr. Jenkins also served as Executive Director for Operation Understanding DC (OUDC), a non-profit organization that specializes in cultural education, leadership development, and interfaith dialogue programming for African American and Jewish high school students.
Mr. Jenkins earned his B.A. degree in political science from Williams College and is an ordained Christian minister.
Ryan Jones | Associate Attorney General for Special Projects
Ryan Jones now serves as Associate Attorney General for Special Projects for OAG, taking on primary responsibility for addressing some of the most pressing and nuanced issues affecting District residents. Immediately prior to OAG, Mr. Jones worked in private practice where he focused on a range of legal issues encompassing trial and appellate litigation as well as transactional matters. Mr. Jones also served as Legislative and Policy Counsel for the D.C. Office of Cable Television, Film, Music, and Entertainment. He formerly served as a law clerk for the American Psychiatric Association and was a judicial fellow for the Honorable Glynnis Hill, in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas. Ryan held judicial internships with the Honorable Anita Josey-Herring, in DC Superior Court and the Honorable Chief Judge Eric T. Washington, in the D.C. Court of Appeals.
He earned his LL.M. from the George Washington Law School, his J.D. from the Southern Illinois University School of Law, and his B.A. in Psychology from Stony Brook University.
Alongside these appointments, the following key personnel will continue in OAG’s Immediate Office: Christian Barrera as Chief Operating Officer, Emily Gunston as Senior Counsel and Deputy of Legislative and Policy Affairs, Emma Simson as Senior Counsel, and Kate Vlach as Policy Director. Their invaluable dedication to public service and keen insight is well-served to the new staff in OAG’s ongoing mission to make the District a safer, fairer place for residents.
Jobs at OAG
Along with full-time positions, OAG offers opportunities for pro bono work, internships, and fellowships. Visit our website to view open positions and apply.
The Office of Attorney General’s social media accounts were updated as of January 2. You can stay up to date on the latest from our office and AG Schwalb by following @DCAttorneyGen on Twitter, and @DCAttorneyGeneral on Instagram.