Policing Leadership Academy Advisory and Research Committees

Assistant Chief Armando Aguilar oversees the Miami Police Department’s Administration Division. He has been with the Department for more than 20 years.

Brenda Goss Andrews serves as the President of National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE). She is a former Deputy Chief of the Detroit Police Department with over 30 years of experience.

Chief Charlie Beck led the Los Angeles Police Department from 2009 to 2018, and was the Interim Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department from 2019 to 2020.

Dan Berkowitz is the Chief Strategy Officer of the Neubauer Family Foundation where he designs investments in education, community safety, and economic opportunities. Previously, he led non-profit initiatives focused on creative youth development.

Commissioner Bill Bratton currently serves as co-chair of the Homeland Security Advisory Council and as an Executive Chairman, Risk Advisory at Teneo. He led the Los Angeles Police Department from 2002 to 2009 and the New York Police Department from 1994 to 1996 and 2014 to 2016.

Deputy Chief Kristopher Caldwell has served the citizens of Arlington, Texas as an officer in the Police Department for 26 years. Caldwell was appointed to Deputy Chief in 2022 and currently serves as the West Patrol District Chief.

Detective Sergeant Daniel Cowman is a member of An Garda Síochána, the Irish Police Force, and was appointed to the Garda National Crime and Security Intelligence Service in January 2023. In April 2023, Daniel commenced his current role as a Police Liaison Officer for North America and Canada.

Matthew DeSarno is the former Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Dallas Field Office. He brings over 25 years of leadership experience in law enforcement and national security. In 2022, he founded Verfico Technology, Inc., successfully guiding it through its acquisition by Odin Labs, Inc., where he now serves as President and Chief Operating Officer.

Karen Freeman-Wilson is the current President and CEO of the Chicago Urban League. Prior to that, she served as the Mayor of Gary, Indiana and the Attorney General for Indiana.

Teny Gross is the Executive Director of the Institute for Nonviolence Chicago and was previously the CEO of the Nonviolence Institute in Rhode Island.

Alexa James is the CEO of NAMI Chicago, a position she has held for nearly a decade. Alexa previously represented NAMI Chicago on the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability and as the Senior Adviser on Wellness to the Chicago Police Department.

Chief Kathy Lester joined the Sacramento Police Department in 1994 as a dispatcher, became a community service officer in 1995, and a sworn police officer in 1996. As the 46th Chief of Police for the City of Sacramento, she launched a Violent Crime Reduction Strategy which led to a reduction of 30% fewer shooting victims in the first year.

Andy Marsh was appointed the CEO of the U.K. College of Policing in 2021. He previously served as the Chief Constable of Avon and Somerset and Chief Constable of Hampshire.

Michael Masters is the National Director & CEO of the Secure Community Network. He is the former Executive Director of the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management for Cook County, IL. Mr. Masters is currently serving on the Department of Homeland Security’s Homeland Security and Advisory Committee.

General Stanley McChrystal is the founder of the McChrystal Group and the former commander of US Army and International Security Assistance Force and Joint Special Operations Command.

Maureen “Mo” McGough is the Chief of Staff for the Policing Project at NYU and the founder of 30×30 initiative. She was formerly with the National Policing Institute, and prior to that she served as the Senior Policy Advisor to the Director of the National Institute for Justice.

Karhlton Moore is the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance in the Department of Justice. He previously served as the Executive Director of Ohio’s Office of Criminal Justice Services.

Mayor Michael Nutter served two terms as Mayor of Philadelphia. Nutter served as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, president of the PA Municipal League, and was named Public Official of the Year by Governing magazine. Nutter served in the Department of Homeland Security, is a Professor of Practice at Columbia University, a CNN commentator, Senior Fellow at Bloomberg Philanthropies, and national spokesperson for the What Works Cities program.

Julia Quinn is the Deputy Director of Philanthropy for Citadel, and previously served as Associate Director at the University of Chicago Crime Lab and Education Lab.

Commissioner Chuck Ramsey led the Philadelphia Police Department from 2008 to 2016. Prior to that, he served as the Chief of Metropolitan Police Department of DC.

Connie Rice is a prominent Civil Rights attorney, and the co-founder and co-director of the Advancement Project.

Jeffrey Sallet is the former Associate Deputy Director of the FBI. He has more than 25 years of experience in investigations, government regulations, and leadership. Currently, he serves as a Forensic & Integrity Services partner at Ernst & Young.

Maggie Shapack is the Director of Community Engagement for Shapack Partners. Shapack Partners is a multi asset class Real Estate Development firm based in Chicago.

Cornelia Sigworth is the Senior Director for Strategic Engagement at Axon. She has over 25 years of service within the United States Department of Justice, where she served as the Associate Deputy Director for Law Enforcement and Crime Reduction with the US Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance and as Senior Advisor/Chief of Staff to the BJA Director.

Superintendent Larry Snelling was appointed to lead the Chicago Police Department in 2023 and was previously the Chief of the Bureau of Counterterrorism at CPD.

Rodrigo Canales is the Co-Faculty Director of the Social Impact Program and the Kelli Questrom Associate Professor of Management & Operations at Boston University.

Dr. Tracie L. Keesee is the President and COO of the Center for Policing Equity.

Emily Owens is the Chair and Professor of Criminology, Law, and Society and Professor of Economics, University of California, Irvine.

Lawrence Sherman is the Chief Scientific Officer, Metropolitan Police, London & Emeritus Professor, University of Cambridge.

Wes Skogan is a Professor Emeritus at Northwestern University.

David Weisburd is a Distinguished Professor at George Mason University and Executive Director of the Center for Evidence-Based Crime Policy. He is also the Walter E. Meyer Professor Emeritus of Law and Criminal Justice at the Hebrew University Faculty of Law in Jerusalem. Weisburd serves as Chief Science Adviser at the National Policing Institute.