First Deputy AG describes steps Office of Attorney General is taking to ensure commitment to ethics and integrity are a cornerstone under AG Josh Shapiro
HARRISBURG — Today, First Deputy Attorney General Michelle Henry will deliver a presentation at a national gathering on how the Office of Attorney General is taking steps to ensure ethics and integrity are top priorities under Attorney General Josh Shapiro.
First Deputy AG Henry will deliver today’s presentation on the Office of Attorney General’s ethics and integrity plan at a conference of the National Association of Attorneys General’s top deputies and senior personnel in New Orleans, LA.
“As I promised in January when I was sworn in, ensuring ethics and integrity are top priorities in our office,” Attorney General Shapiro said. “We’re working to restore Pennsylvanians’ trust in the Office of Attorney General, and having our First Deputy Attorney General Michelle Henry present these efforts in front of attorneys general offices from around the country is powerful recognition of our work.”
Henry will participate today on an hour-long panel entitled, “Ethics Officers and Codes of Conduct: How to establish and how to improve.” Joining Henry on the panel will be Fred Boss, Oregon’s Deputy Attorney General, and Tania Maestas, New Mexico’s Deputy Attorney General for Civil Affairs and Operations. An estimated 60 senior deputies and personnel with attorneys general offices around the country are expected to attend.
“It’s an honor to participate in this panel on ethics and codes of conduct,” Henry said. “We have a substantive plan and a story to share with our colleagues from around the nation. Ethics is everyone’s job in the Office of Attorney General, and we’re committed to maintaining a high level of integrity in everything we do each day for the people of Pennsylvania.”
At today’s conference, Henry will detail key action steps which the Office of Attorney General has already taken to ensure ethics and integrity are engrained in the work culture under Attorney General Shapiro, including:
- Appointing OAG’s first-ever Chief Integrity Officer, Eric Fillman, an ethics expert with extensive experience.
- Attorney General Shapiro, working with CIO Fillman, signing a new Code of Conduct on his first day in office, a pledge that every employee in the Office of Attorney General voluntarily signed as well within one week. The office has more than 800 employees.
- CIO Fillman presenting an overview on ethics and integrity as part of a training session for several hundred OAG attorneys earlier this month in State College. CIO Fillman’s videotaped presentation is being shown to every other attorney and staff member of the office as well.
In Fillman’s overview, “Restoring Institutional Integrity,” he examined scandals in other public and private institutions, drew upon lessons learned, and pointed out new ways forward to help create a new “a culture of integrity” in the Office of Attorney General. Henry will draw on that first ethics training in her presentation today.
“This is a valuable opportunity to meet with our peers from around the country, hear their ideas on ethics and integrity, and then share the substantive action steps that we’re taking in Pennsylvania,” Henry said. “We’re building a strong team in the Office of Attorney General, and we’re placing ethics and integrity first on the agenda.”
