Ms. Witten was inspired to become an attorney in junior high by the poignant themes and characters of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird. She was especially moved by Lee's fictional attorney Atticus Finch, a man of very high moral standards who retained his integrity by staying true to his values in all circumstances, no matter what the outcome. Jeannette strives to live her own life and practice law in the same manner and is dedicated to contributing to the honor of the legal profession through service in the community.

While attending Duquesne University School of Law, Ms. Witten was co-Chair of the Public Interest Law Association (PILA), an organization dedicated to increasing law student awareness of public interest issues and providing opportunities for students to contribute and gain experience in the public interest field. Her law school public interest work included the honor of being one of five students certified by the court as a Certified Public Defender during her final year of school. While her career path has led her into corporate and business law, Jeannette remains very active in the public interest sector and attempts to use her skills to benefit and promote several charitable organizations.

Currently, Jeannette is honored to serve as a Board of Director of Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) of Monterey County, a nonprofit organization providing advocacy for abused children. Like the mockingbird used by Lee to symbolize innocence and victims of injustice, the children caught in the Dependency System of Monterey County are the innocent victims of abuse and neglect. Over time, a CASA volunteer advocate builds a relationship with such a child and gains an understanding of the child's living situation and future custody options. The judge deciding the child's case heavily relies upon the findings of the advocate in making a custody decision that is truly in the best interest of the child.

A lover of the arts, Jeannette is privileged to have the opportunity to serve as a Board of Director and corporate Secretary for Colleagues of the Arts (COTA), a nonprofit organization founded locally by retired acclaimed opera singer, Norma Jean Hodges Keyston. COTA provides support for arts education to talented Monterey County children that are in need of financial assistance. Jeannette is also a Board of Director and corporate Secretary to Carmel Opera Foundation a nonprofit organization founded in 2006 with the mission of bringing a first rate annual opera festival to Carmel, California.

Jeannette Witten is a founding Board member of The Offset Project, Inc., (TOP) a California not for profit company and environmental organization creating programs that fulfill its mission to reduce carbon emissions through education and grassroots initiatives (www.offsetproject.org). TOP seeks to integrate ways for the community to guide businesses and special events toward carbon reduction strategies. TOP has volunteers in the school districts teaching students about waste reduction and provides volunteers at local events providing an interactive approach to sustainable practices. TOP works with corporate Green Teams to establish sustainable policies and received three green leadership awards from local business organizations in 2010. Currently TOP is working on two initiatives: The Monterey Bay Offset Fund and the development of Zero Waste Programs in Monterey County.