Heather Van Zee, J.D.
Assistant Professor and Program Coordinator of Criminal Justice & Law Enforcement
J.D. at Mitchell Hamline School of Law
B.A. in Criminal Justice at University of Northwestern – St. Paul
CONTACT INFORMATION
Heather R. Van Zee, J.D., brings more than eleven years of courtroom experience to her classroom, including having worked as both an Assistant County Attorney and an Assistant Public Defender. Heather has handled all types of juvenile and adult criminal cases and worked closely with judges, attorneys, law enforcement, probation officers, and social workers as part of a multi-disciplinary team. She specialized in DWIs, controlled substance crimes, and violent person crime cases. Heather has completed training in trial advocacy, MN sentencing guidelines, and CornerHouse Forensic Interviewing. She also coordinated a driving diversion program and taught an anti-bullying program for juveniles. She was licensed to appear in tribal court, where she represented individuals in family law and child protection cases. Under her leadership, UNW’s Law Enforcement Professional Peace Officer Education (PPOE) program was officially recertified by the Minnesota Board of Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) on January 27, 2022.
