Mary Ashley has been a prosecutor with the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office since 1998 and serves as a faculty member at Vera Causa Group. 

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Mary has extensive experience in the area of prosecuting crimes against children, sexual assault, domestic violence and elder abuse. Mary has served as a Deputy, Supervisor, Chief and Assistant District Attorney, and she is currently assigned in the Specialized Prosecutions Division as Legal Advisor to the Civil Grand Jury. 

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Mary has years of experience teaching classes and publishing articles for a variety of public safety organizations, including the California District Attorneys Association, The National District Attorneys Association (NDAA), the American Bar Association Criminal Justice Section, The International Association of Chiefs of Police, The Counseling Team International, the Arizona Prosecuting Attorney’s Advisory Council, The Prosecuting Attorneys Association of Michigan and The New Mexico District Attorney’s Association. Mary serves on the Board of NDAA, as well as being Vice-Chair of the NDAA Women Prosecutors’ Section and the NDAA Attorney Well-Being Taskforce. In addition, Mary is on the Board of Directors for the California Public Safety Peer Support Association and a Board Member for the Addiction Policy Forum. Mary is currently the Co-Coordinator for the San Bernardino County DA’s Office Peer Support Team. 

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Mary has developed an expertise in the area of prosecutor wellness to make a career in the criminal justice system sustainable and successful. She has taught in the areas of secondary trauma, compassion fatigue, vicarious trauma, advanced peer support, active listening, vicarious resiliency, effective communication, leadership skill building and how to support those you supervise through empathy and compassion. 

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After earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Communications from the University of Southern California in 1993, she earned her Juris Doctorate Degree from Western State University College of Law in 1997.