Jeff Ruch
Senior Counsel

Jeff Ruch

Jeff serves as Senior Counsel to PEER, where he specializes in civil service, scientific integrity, and whistleblower protection issues. Jeff was PEER’s Executive Director from 1997 to 2019 and its Pacific Director from 2019 to 2025. Previously, he was the Policy Director and a staff attorney at the Government Accountability Project, representing whistleblowers from both the public and private sectors. Before coming to DC, Jeff worked in California state government for 17 years, mostly in the State Legislature as counsel to various committees where he drafted hundreds of laws on topics ranging from energy conservation to the rights of employed inventors. Jeff served stints as a deputy district attorney and an appellate court clerk. He is a graduate of the California Correctional Officers Academy.

BLOG | EPA’s Bad Chemistry Is Killing Us 

by Jeff Ruch | February 25, 2021
We cannot afford to wait for EPA to finally become a 21st century regulator of harmful chemicals that find our way into food, water, and air ...

BLOG | Vilsack Pick Fails Scientific Integrity Test

by Jeff Ruch | February 3, 2021
Biden’s nominee for USDA Secretary, Tom Vilsack, had a dubious record on scientific integrity and ties to agri-business during his previous stint at USDA ...

BLOG | Social Distancing to Curb COVID-19 and Park Overcrowding

by Jeff Ruch | February 1, 2021
Biden Executive Order on COVID-19 protocols on federal property puts the National Park Service under a direct presidential order to do something it's resisted for years - manage overcrowding ...

BLOG | If You Had Any Decency, You’d Resign

by Jeff Ruch | January 8, 2021
Following the Trump-inspired mob takeover of the U.S. Capitol, a growing parade of high-ranking Trump officials have resigned ...

BLOG | Will Biden Pick Whistleblowers?

by Jeff Ruch | November 25, 2020
The need to employ public sector reformers has not been more acute nor has the community of reformers/whistleblowers been so large ...
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