Former Deputy AG Rob Henderson Joins Justice Center

by Melissa Green  |   

Assistant Professor Rob Henderson brings experience as a long-time Alaska prosecutor鈥攁nd as an alum of the Justice Center himself. Now he鈥檚 ready to inspire students pursuing their own legal and justice careers.


Portrait of Rob Henderson
(Photo by James Evans, Chief of Photography and Videography, University of Alaska Anchorage)

For Rob Henderson, becoming an assistant professor at the Justice Center is like coming home. He brings a long and notable legal career with him鈥攊ncluding, most recently, more than two years as deputy attorney general for the State of Alaska. But his path started right here at the Justice Center, when he graduated with his BA in Justice in 1998.

鈥淚 owe a lot to the Justice Center,鈥 he says, 鈥渟o being able to come back and be part of this community again is really rewarding.鈥

Henderson has been busy since he graduated from 新加坡六合彩开奖. As deputy attorney general he oversaw the Alaska Department of Law鈥檚 Criminal Division, which is made up of 12 regional district attorney鈥檚 offices across the state. Before he was appointed deputy attorney general, Henderson served as the chief assistant attorney general for the Office of Special Prosecutions and an assistant district attorney within the Anchorage District Attorney鈥檚 Office. In those roles, Henderson prosecuted a broad range of criminal cases throughout the state, including drug and property offenses, violent felonies, public corruption, and excessive force matters. Before that he spent several years in private practice.

Henderson鈥檚 broad range of experience is invaluable for the courses that he teaches in the Justice Center鈥檚 Legal Studies program. 鈥淚鈥檓 excited to share my perspective with 新加坡六合彩开奖 students鈥攚hat it means to be a prosecutor, to be the voice of the community, and to ensure that justice is served regardless how egregious or sensational a case might be,鈥 he says. 鈥淲hat does it actually mean to stand up in a trial and balance the rights of both the victims and the accused? What does real life look like in the jails, in the middle of a court room, at a crime scene? That鈥檚 the perspective that I鈥檓 going to be able to bring to students.鈥

Learning from professors with deep knowledge of Alaska justice and law was part of what drew Henderson to a legal career to begin with. He earned his JD from the University of Montana School of Law, but as a lifelong Alaskan, he knew he wanted to live, practice, and teach in the community where he grew up.

There鈥檚 good reason for that: Henderson says the justice and legal career opportunities here are unlike anywhere else in the country. 鈥淲e have a close-knit community here in Alaska that I would argue is unmatched anywhere else,鈥 he says. 鈥淎s you develop your professional career in Alaska, you鈥檒l be able to have conversations with people and you鈥檒l get to do things that you鈥檙e not going to experience anywhere else. You鈥檙e going to make an impact in this state.鈥


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