Buckhannon, WV—West Virginia Wesleyan College alumnus Jeffrey Ragsdale has been appointed head of the Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) by United States Attorney General William P. Barr.  The announcement was made in a release by the Department of Justice and his appointment became effective on May 21.

Ragsdale, a 1977 Wesleyan graduate, earned a bachelor of arts in government while completing a minor in psychology. He received a J.D. from the University of Cincinnati.

Prior to this appointment, he served as the acting director and chief counsel for the OPR since September 2016. Before joining the OPR, he was an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia for 29 years, during which time he tried a large number of cases, including homicides and complex narcotics cases.

“The Office of Professional Responsibilities is instrumental in ensuring that the Department of Justice conducts itself in accord with the highest professional standards,” sad Attorney General Barr in the release.  “Jeff has shown throughout his career at the department that he is a dedicated public servant who knows the importance of the rule of law as well as our ethical responsibilities in the attorneys representing the United States.”

Ragsdale also served as a manager and supervised numerous litigation sections on both the Superior Court and Criminal Divisions, including the chief of the Homicide Section for eight years.  Before joining the U.S. Attorney’s Office, he served as a state prosecutor in Virginia for five years.