MURIEL BOWSER
MAYOR
May 12, 2023
The Honorable Phil Mendelson
Chairman
Council of the District of Columbia
John A. Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Suite 504
Washington, DC 20004
Dear Chairman Mendelson:
In accordance with section 2 of the Confirmation Act of 1978, effective March 3,1979 (D.C. Law
2-142; D.C. Official Code 1-523.01), and pursuant to section 401 of the Human Rights Act of
1977, effective December 7, 2004 (D.C. Law 15-216; D.C, Official Code 2-1404.01), I am
pleased to nominate the following person:
Mx. Colin Rettammel
Emerson Street, NE
Washington, DC 20017
(Ward 5)
for appointment as a member of the Commission on Human Rights, replacing Timothy Thomas,
for a term to end December 31, 2025.
Enclosed you will find biographical information detailing the experience of the above-mentioned
nominee, together with a proposed resolution to assist the Council during the confirmation process.
I would appreciate the Councils earliest consideration of this nomination for confirmation. Please
do not hesitate to contact me, or Steven Walker, Director, Mayor's Office of Talent and
Appointments, should the Council require additional information.
Sincerely,
Mu iel Bowser
 1
2 ^airman Phil Mendelson
3 at the request of the Mayor
4
5
6 A PROPOSED RESOLUTION
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8
9 IN THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
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11
12
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14
15
16 To confirm the appointment of Mx. Colin Rettammel to the Commission on Human Rights.
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18 RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA, That this
19 resolution may be cited as the Commission on Human Rights Colin Rettammel Confirmation
20 Resolution of 2023.
21
22 Sec. 2. The Council of the District of Columbia confirms the appointment of:
23
24 Mx. Colin Rettammel
25 Emerson Street, NE
26 Washington, DC 20017
27 (Ward 5)
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29 as a member of the Commission on Human Rights, established by section 401 of the Human
30 Rights Act of 1977 (D.C. Law 15-216; D.C. Official Code 2-1404.01), replacing Timothy
31 Thomas, for a term to end December 31,2025.
32 Sec. 3. The Council of the District of Columbia shall transmit a copy of this resolution.
33 upon its adoption, to the nominee and to the Office of the Mayor.
34 Sec. 4. This resolution shall take effect immediately.
 Colin M. Rettammel, Esq.
BAR ADMISSIONS
Member in Good Standing of the Maryland Bar
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Judicial Law Clerk to the Hon. Judge Scott Laurer July 2021 - Present
United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims Washington, DC
-Conduct initial adjudication of appeals and draft single-judge memorandum decisions on issues
involving interpretation of federal statutes and regulations and complex questions of federal jurisdiction.
-Work with judges and other law clerks to prepare for oral arguments in panel and en banc cases and draft
precedential decisions in those cases.
-Review petitions for writs under the All Writs Act and draft recommended dispositive orders.
-Identify novel or unresolved legal issues appropriate for panel review and precedential disposition.
-Draft dispositive and non-dispositive court orders.
-Substantively review and edit draft decisions and orders created by other law clerks.
Appellate Attorney February 2019 - July 2021
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Washington, DC
-Represented the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in complex appellate litigation before the United States
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, handling a case load of several hundred cases per year.
-Resolved cases requiring interpretation of federal statutes and regulations, complex jurisdictional
questions, and numerous issues involving the Administrative Procedures Act.
-Drafted and filed appellate briefs, substantive motions, and requests for reconsideration or panel review
of court decisions.
-Participated in conferences to attempt to negotiate resolution of cases prior to formal appellate briefing.
-Served as a mentor to new attorneys by teaching substantive veterans law as well as the procedural
practice of appellate law before the court.
Assistant Public Defender March 2018 - February 2019
Maryland Office of the Public Defender Prince Georges County, MD
-Represented defendants in all phases of criminal cases in Maryland District Court including bond
hearings, preliminary hearings, preliminary inquiries, pre-trial motions, criminal bench trials, and
violation of probation hearings.
-Represented defendants injury trial appeals and jury trial prayers in Maryland Circuit Court.
-Responsible for all aspects of preparing a large docket of criminal cases, including discovery review,
case investigation, and plea negotiations.
FOIA Paralegal Specialist November 2016 - February 2018
D.C. Office of the Attorney General Washington, DC
-One of two individuals responsible for receipt, evaluation, and research of new FOIA requests.
-Drafted motions and memoranda and performed legal research in multiple areas of law.
-Drafted discovery responses, prepared disclosures, reviewed incoming disclosures, reviewed legal
privilege matters, evaluated FOIA requests, and prepared witnesses for deposition.
Police Officer First Class November 2015 - November 2016
City of Bowie Police Department Bowie, MD
-Responded to calls for service, evaluated criminal complaints, and planned and conducted investigations
into violations of Maryland criminal statutes as well as county and municipal regulations.
-Created criminal charging documents, as well as other legal and investigative documentation.
-Testified in criminal trials and hearings, civil hearings, and administrative hearings.
 Colin M. Rettammel, Esq.
735 Emerson St. NE * Washington, DC 20017 (703) 717-8169 * colin.rettammel@gmail.com
Supervisory Investigator / Chief of Investigations July 2015 - November 2015
Investigator August 2014 - July 2015
Office of the State Superintendent of Education Washington, DC
-Prepared investigative reports and briefings recommending agency actions applying Federal, DC, and
Maryland laws and administrative regulations.
-Conducted interviews with parents, children, teachers, bus drivers, and special education coordinators.
-Directed all investigations, reviewed investigative reports, and oversaw organizational safety programs.
-Planned and conducted investigations into criminal and administrative employee misconduct and
fraudulent actions throughout an agency division with over one-thousand employees.
Police Officer May 2012 - August 2014
Metropolitan Police Department Washington, DC
-Patrol officer responsible for responding to calls for service, and evaluation of criminal complaints.
-Testified in criminal trials and hearings, civil hearings, and variety of administrative hearings.
-Recipient of multiple Commanding Officer's Honorable Mention awards for outstanding work.
Contractor September 2011 - May 2012
USIS / U.S. Attorneys Office for D.C. - Violent Crimes and Narcotics Trafficking Washington, DC
-Assisted in conducting criminal investigations by transcribing and evaluating wiretap recordings,
undercover video and audio surveillance, and recorded jail calls.
-Reviewed voluminous records, including financial statements and phone records, as part of money
laundering and fraud investigations for the Asset Forfeiture Unit.
-Assisted in reviewing and cataloging large amounts of physical evidence in preparation for a months-
long trial.
EDUCATION
American University Washington College of Law
Juris Doctor, Cum Laude, May 2011
GPA: 3.70, Top 16%
American University Law Review, Note and Comment Editor
Health Law and Policy, Managing Editor (10/2009 - 05/2010), Co-Editor-in-Chief (05/2010 - 02/2011)
Published: Cutting Health Care Costs - The Re-importation ofDrugs, 3 Health Law & Policy, 56.
George Mason University
Bachelor of Science in Public Administration, May 2008

WE ARE
WASHINGTON
Executive Office of the Mayor - Office of Talent and Appointments
John A. Wilson Building | 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 600 | Washington, DC 20004
Colin Retammel
Colin Rettammel is an experienced trial attorney and appellate
attorney with a background of adjudicating and litigating complex
appeals. He currently serves as a judicial law clerk on the United
States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. Prior to his time on
the Court, he litigated appeals for the U.S. Department of Veterans
Affairs, where he conducted a de novo review of the decisions of
an administrative body, determined if the decisions were legally
sufficient, and either remanded the decisions for re-adjudication or
defended them in federal court.
In his career as an attorney, Mx. Retammel has worked as an assistant public defender, an
appellate litigator for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and a judicial law clerk on the U.S.
Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. As a judicial clerk, he conducts initial adjudications of
complex federal appeals and draft decisions for publication by the Court. He has also served as
an Assistant Public Defender for the Maryland Office of the Public Defender, worked for the
D.C. Office of the State Superintendent of Education, the Office of the Attorney General, and the
Metropolitan Police Department.
More important than his significant professional and academic experience is his passion for
human and civil rights. Mx. Retammel is a non-binary, bisexual person in an interracial
marriage, many reasons to appreciate the protections of the DC Human Rights Act.
A Ward 5 resident, Mx. Retammel holds a B.S. in Public Administration from George Mason
University, and a J.D. with honors from the American University Washington College of Law.
 GOVERNMENT OF THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA
Executive Office of Mayor Muriel Bowser

WE ARE
waH5gton
Office of the General Counsel to the Mayor
To: Tommy Wells, Steve Walker
From: Betsy Cavendish
Date: April 3, 2023
Subject: Legal sufficiency review of Resolutions nominating Motoko Aizawa, Karen
Mulhauser, Teri Janine Quinn, Henry Floyd, Jr., Colin Rettammel, and Antonesia
Wiley as members of the Commission on Human Rights
This is to Certify that this office has reviewed the above-referenced resolutions and
found them to be legally unobjectionable. If you have any questions in this regard, please do not
hesitate to call Vanessa Careiro, Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of the Mayor, at
202-724-1303, or me at 202-724-7681.
Elizabeth A. (Betsy) Cavendish
The John A. Wilson Building 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 300 Washington, D.C. 20004 Office (202) 724-7681