WASHINGTON, D. C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine announced today that two respected community leaders and veterans of the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) were recently appointed to leadership positions within the agency. Elizabeth Sarah “Sally” Gere will now serve as Deputy Attorney General for the Public Interest Division, and James “Tony” Towns will serve as Community Outreach Director.
Ms. Gere has worked for more than four years at OAG in both the Civil Litigation Division and, most recently, as Acting Deputy Attorney General for the Public Interest Division. She also oversees OAG’s Charles F.C. Ruff Fellowship Program, a highly competitive one-year fellowship where top graduates from D.C. law schools are selected to work for OAG. Prior to joining the OAG team, and following a stint with the Department of Justice, Ms. Gere was a longtime Partner and General Counsel for Ross, Dixon & Bell L.L.P., which later merged with Troutman Sanders LLP, where she specialized in civil litigation. She also has been an Adjunct Professor at the Georgetown University Law Center for many years. A Ward 3 resident, Gere gives back to the community by serving on the Women’s Advisory Board for the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital and the Board of Directors for the Abramson Scholarship Foundation. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Denison University and a J.D. from George Washington University Law School.
“Sally’s extraordinary service as Acting Deputy for the Public Interest Division made clear that she was the best choice to lead this crucial division’s important work on a permanent basis,” said Attorney General Racine. “We’re excited to benefit from her deep wisdom, her strong work ethic, and her keen legal skills in leading our attorneys who handle civil and administrative actions brought by and against the District.”
Mr. Towns has worked for more than seven years in OAG’s Civil Litigation Division, serving as lead counsel for the District in tort and constitutional claims. He also assumed a leadership role in this division as an Acting Section Chief. Previously, he served in private practice, as a clerk on the D.C. Superior Court, and in the Executive Office of the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy. Outside of the office, Mr. Towns has deep community ties as a resident of Ward 4. He has served as Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner for Single Member District 4A02 and Ward 4 Committeeman to the D.C. Democratic State Committee. He also volunteers for many community activities, including serving over 20 years as the coordinator for “Hayride to Christmas,” which provides Christmas dinner to families of disadvantaged school-aged children. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Morehouse College, a J.D. from Georgetown University Law School, and a L.L.M. degree from Temple University Law School.
“As a longtime leader in the community, Tony brings a unique blend of organizing experience and awareness of needs and concerns of District residents,” said Attorney General Racine. “I know his experience will help us as we continue to educate community members on their legal rights and learn how we can better serve and protect them.”
Mr. Towns succeeds Robert White, who left OAG in December after establishing the agency’s first office-wide community outreach program.