Rob Saltzman studies legal and professional ethics, the learning process in law school, legislation and the political process, and disabilities issues. He oversaw USC Gould’s Academic Support Program and taught Legal Profession and Legal Analysis of Evidence.

Dean Saltzman was a member of the Los Angeles Police Commission, which oversees the L.A. Police Department. Saltzman was appointed to the position in 2007 by Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa after serving as vice president of the L.A. City Ethics Commission. He served on the Police Commission until 2016. President Obama appointed Saltzman to the White House Commission on Presidential Scholars in 2011. Saltzman has served on a number of boards and committees for national legal education organizations, including the Law School Admissions Board, National Association for Law Placement Foundation board of trustees, the Rockefeller Center for Public Policy and Civic Leadership board of visitors at Dartmouth College, and the Association of American Law Schools Section on Pre-Legal Education and Admission to Law School executive board. His writings include “Affirmative Action in Law School Admissions and Legal Employment: Facts, Observations, and Suggestions for Gatekeepers” (Insights: Issues and Opportunities for Law Deans & Hiring Attorneys, 1998).

Prior to joining USC Law in 1988, Dean Saltzman practiced with a Colorado law firm, served as legal counsel to an elected Los Angeles County supervisor, and was special counsel to the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. He holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College and a J.D. from Harvard Law School.