GUEST SPEAKER:
Santa Clara County District Attorney Jeff Rosen is a nationally-recognized leader in criminal justice reform.
Since 2011, Mr. Rosen has overseen the largest prosecutor's office north of Los Angeles, serving a population of almost two million. The District Attorney's Office has 600 employees, including 192 deputy district attorneys. From gang homicides to consumer rights lawsuits, the Office prosecutes 40,000 cases each year. Some cases successfully prosecuted under Mr. Rosen’s administration include former County Supervisor George Shirakawa, Stanford swimmer Brock Turner, the Nuestra Familia gang, three jail guards who beat to death a mentally ill inmate, and the killer of 15-year-old Sierra Lamar.
As District Attorney, Mr. Rosen created an innovative and nationally acclaimed Conviction Integrity Unit to investigate innocence claims and implement the most professional practices in criminal prosecution.
Mr. Rosen established a Cold Case Unit to investigate unsolved murders and a misdemeanor diversion program for low-level offenders. He created a series of Family Justice Centers throughout the county, making sure domestic violence survivors had easier access to legal help and other resources. Inspired by the Brock Turner conviction, Mr. Rosen helped change the law in California to ensure prison sentences for those convicted of sexually assaulting unconscious and intoxicated victims.
Mr. Rosen joined the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office as a prosecutor in 1995. During his career, he successfully prosecuted some of the most difficult, complex and high profile criminal cases, including drug trafficking, burglary, robbery, rape, child molestation, gang violence, and murder. In his last remaining case before taking Office as District Attorney, he obtained first degree murder convictions and life sentences against the defendants whose murder-for-hire scheme resulted in the slaying of Los Gatos businessman Mark Achilli.
Before joining the District Attorney's Office, Mr. Rosen worked for prominent law firms in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C., where he practiced commercial litigation.
Since arriving in the Bay Area, Mr. Rosen has served as president of a large synagogue, taught trial advocacy at Santa Clara University Law School, and trained police officers in report-writing.
Mr. Rosen received his undergraduate degree from UCLA where he majored in Philosophy and graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa. He also won the prestigious Truman Scholarship and the Outstanding Senior Award. Mr. Rosen received his law degree from UC Berkeley School of Law, where he served on the Moot Court Board and taught English to immigrants.
Mr. Rosen's wife serves as a federal prosecutor. They have two daughters.
Mr. Rosen enjoys playing sports, reading, and cheering for the Green Bay Packers.
An admirer of President Harry Truman, Mr. Rosen believes, "The buck stops here."