Trini Ross

President Joseph Biden has nominated a SUNY Fredonia graduate to be the next United States Attorney for Western New York.

Trini Ross is a 1988 graduate of the university. If confirmed, she would be the first female African American to serve as U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York.

“SUNY Fredonia is incredibly proud of Trini Ross,” said SUNY Fredonia President Stephen H. Kolison Jr. “Her journey to this nomination is a shining example of how SUNY Fredonia prepares students for success. We look forward to seeing Ms. Ross fill this important role in the Western New York community.”

Ross has served as the Director of Investigations, Legal Division, with the National Science Foundation’s Office of Inspector General since 2018. She has also been an adjunct professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law since 2006.

From 1995 to 2018, Ross was an assistant U.S. attorney for the Western District of New York, where she served as the senior litigation counsel and the chef of the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Section from 2012 to 2017. She also served as an assistant counsel with the Department of Justice’s Office of Professional Responsibility from 2007 to 2009.

Ross was a civil litigation associate at Hiscock & Barclay, LLC in 1994-95, and served as an appellate court attorney for the New York State Supreme Court from 1992 to 1994.

After her 1988 graduation from SUNY Fredonia with a bachelor’s degree in sociology, Ross received her master’s degree from Rutgers University in 1990 and her J.D., cum laude, from the State University of New York at Buffalo School of Law in 1992.

“Trini Ross is the consummate Western New Yorker. As a product of local public schools — from Hutch Tech, to Fredonia, to UB Law — Trini Ross rose to become one of the most respected attorneys in Buffalo,” said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. “I was proud to recommend her for this position, knowing that she will continue her commitment to the highest standards of legal professionalism as the newest United States Attorney. I look forward to moving her nomination through the Senate.”

U.S. Representative Brian Higgins (D-Buffalo) also released a statement applauding Biden’s nomination of Ross: “President Biden has made a wise choice with the selection of Trini Ross, an experienced attorney and Western New York native, as his nominee for U.S. Attorney for the Western District of New York State, based in Buffalo. Ms. Ross is not only well-qualified, but her nomination is historic as the first Black female to be nominated for this office.”