Lindsey Callahan has joined the San Juan County Prosecutor’s Office where she will represent the State of Washington in district court.

Callahan served seven years in the U.S. Air Force Judge Advocate General Corps and is now a Major in the Air Force Reserves. That work provided experience in criminal cases and general litigation.

“Working on an Air Force base is in many ways just like working in a small community such as the San Juan Islands,” Callahan said. “I helped my dentist with legal issues, the police were my neighbors, and I would see victims or people I was prosecuting at the post office.”

Callahan has traveled the world before settling in Friday Harbor. She has previously lived in Rwanda and Cambodia working in the field of economic development. She attended law school and worked for the federal government on ethics issues, in Washington, D.C. She also worked for the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha, Tanzania. With the Air Force, she was stationed in England, Afghanistan, Turkey and Maryland.

Callahan was awarded the Bronze Star Medal for her service in Afghanistan in 2013. And, she is conversational in the French language, which she remarked might come in handy working in a community that borders Canada.

Most recently, Callahan completed a Master of Laws degree at the University of Washington in Sustainable International Development Law, focusing on topics of law, economic development and its impact on natural resources.

Callahan and her family live on San Juan Island.