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Former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins has a new job at Roxbury Community College
Rollins resigned as the state's top federal prosecutor in 2023 amid damning reports by watchdogs that accused her of ethics violations.
Former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, who resigned amid ethics concerns last May, has a new job. She has been hired as a Special Projects Administrator at Roxbury Community College, reportedly tasked with leading a program for formerly incarcerated people.
The program, a new one at RCC, will focus on women of color. In a part-time role, Rollins will help oversee efforts to provide leadership tools and other training. Her hiring was announced in a January memo to faculty and staff from Executive Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs Joyce Taylor Gibson, CommonWealth Beacon reported.
Rollins is currently listed on the RRC website’s staff directory. Gibson and other representatives from RCC did not answer requests for comment Tuesday.
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Rollins is set to earn an annual salary of $96,000 in her new position, according to records from the state comptroller’s office. She had been paid more than $7,300 as of Feb. 24.
Rollins rose to prominence in 2018 when she was elected Suffolk County district attorney on a progressive platform of criminal justice reform. She became the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts in 2022 after being nominated by President Joe Biden and receiving a tie-breaking vote in the Senate from Vice President Kamala Harris.
Her tenure ended in controversy after two damning investigative reports by the Justice Department’s Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Office of Special Counsel.
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In the reports, allegations surfaced that Rollins served as the “de facto campaign advisor” for Ricardo Arroyo. A former Boston City Council member, Arroyo ran against Rollins’s successor, Kevin Hayden, to be Suffolk County district attorney in the fall of 2022. She was accused of attempting to create the public impression that the DOJ was investigating Hayden for corruption, and lying under oath about leaking information to reporters. The Office of Special Counsel called Rollins’s alleged conduct an “egregious” violation of the Hatch Act, which prohibits federal employees from engaging in certain political activities.
In the memo to the RCC community, Gibson extolled Rollins’s previous work and shared more details on what her role will be at the college.
“In particular, Rollins’ implementation of major criminal justice reforms will be essential in ensuring the Project’s success. As Suffolk County District Attorney, Rollins created a Conviction Integrity Unit with one of the nation’s broadest mandates and also developed our Commonwealth’s first Restorative Justice Unit,” Gibson wrote in the memo, which was also obtained by The Boston Globe. “Over the coming months, Rachael will work with RCC colleagues to develop a curriculum and support services, develop metrics for success, and identify additional funding opportunities for the program.”
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