Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi
Ross Mirkarimi (pronounced Meehr-kah-reem-E) was born in Chicago in 1961 to a Persian father, Hamid Mirkarimi, and a Russian-American mother, Nancy Kolman. Ross spent most of his youth in Jamestown, Rhode Island, as well as Chicago.

Ross grew up in a climate where stuffing envelopes and protesting was another form of family recreation. His mother, an anti-war, pro-union labor, feminist activist, worked for the State of Rhode Island for 30 years, seventeen as the Deputy Director for the Rhode Island Commission of Human Rights.

His father instilled an immigrant ethic of being hard-working and civic-minded, although he held reservations about politics. Nearly 30 years with the YMCA system, Hamid worked his way to the top starting out as a security guard, while putting himself through college, to eventually directing the largest YMCA in Chicago. He died in 2001.

A product of public schools until he attended Bishop Hendricken High School, where he graduated with honors, Ross began to dedicate his time to environmental causes and good government reform.

As an undergraduate student in St. Louis, majoring in political science and Russian language and literature, Ross became intensely involved as president of the Missouri Public Interest Research Group, representing both Washington University and St. Louis University. Eventually, he was elected student body president.

With the aim of joining the Foreign Service, he finished his degree at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in 1984. During his first time in California, Ross was immediately smitten with San Francisco, making it his new home, starting in the Haight.

He worked for a bio-medical research firm for nearly six years, which in turn helped to subsidize his political interests. In the late 1980s, Ross spent time with the German Green Party in Bonn as they ascended to power in Parliament. He returned motivated into kick- starting the California Green Party.

During the next several years, Ross worked for the Arms Control Research Center, evaluating military impacts on the environment. At the conclusion of the Persian Gulf War in 1991, he went to Iraq with the Harvard University Study Team, where he led the environmental impact assessment inside the nation of Iraq and the Kurdish sector. With the help of King Hussein, he returned to Iraq in 1992 with the International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War, Jordanian chapter.

The Impact on the Iraqi Civilians study was published in medical and public policy journals throughout the world. It did little to effectuate change -- except to intensify Ross's determination to stop the next war in Iraq or Iran. His personal writings about the experience abroad were published in many periodicals and newspapers.

He joined the office of Supervisor Terence Hallinan. He directed Hallinan's successful campaign for District Attorney in 1995 and his reelection in 1999.

Ross worked for the District Attorney's Office as an investigator specializing in economic and environmental crimes. His training includes graduating from the SFPD Academy (class president), and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, GA. As a sworn peace officer, he held an advanced P.O.S.T. certificate.