Deputy Chief Of Staff For Public Safety Committed To Public Service

A product of San Francisco schools, Paul Henderson attended UCLA for his undergraduate studies. He worked as a model to pay tuition and expenses, and graduated with a degree in History. After completing his bachelor's degree, he attended Tulane Law School, where he served as class president.

After law school, Henderson began working in the San Francisco District Attorney's Office, where he worked his way up to chief administrator (the highest position ever held by an African-American man in the history of the office).  In 2010, Henderson was tapped to become deputy chief of staff for Public Safety in the Mayor's Office of San Francisco, where he continues his commitment to public service.

Scope and responsibilities of current role?

"As deputy chief of staff, I serve as a principal advisor to Mayor Ed Lee and oversee various city departments on major issues concerning public safety policy and administration. My job requires that I put a special emphasis on facilitating cooperation between local, state and federal public safety and law enforcement partners to increase the effectiveness of not only our public safety strategies, but the implementation of those strategies as well."

What is your favorite part of your daily duties?

"My favorite part of my job is that there is always something new to do every day. I am a person who hates tedium, and my job at City Hall has absolutely none of it. I am always working on new projects and meeting new people. One day I will be meeting with members of the White House on justice reforms; another day I will be working on local legislation to reduce street violence. Sometimes, I even do those things on the same day!"

Do you feel your education prepared you for your current role?

"Law school definitely gave me communication tools and taught me how to develop solutions to complicated problems. I am regularly presented with complex issues, but I can and do often rely on the critical thinking and problem-solving skills I learned in law school in order to determine which paths to take. Law school gave me decision-making skills while providing me with the best academic tools of both research and communication which I use every day."

Do you have any advice for people who desire to pursue a similar career?