Cultivating the Next Generation of Women in Public Safety

Sandy Jo MacArthur

Former Assistant Chief, Los Angeles Police Department

Sandy Jo MacArthur has a career in policing spanning over 44 years with the Los Angeles Police Department of which 35 years was fulltime and 9 as a reserve officer. She attained the rank of Assistant Chief before her retirement in 2015 and continues to work with their training and education division. During her LAPD tenure as a fulltime employee, Sandy Jo was responsible for implementation of many of the requirements of the 2001 Department of Justice Consent Decree, oversight of the LAPD's 1.6 billion-dollar budget, all entrance level and in-service training, the 9-1-1 center, recruitment and hiring, internal behavioral sciences services, the internal dispute resolutions program and the external ADR program. Sandy Jo's expertise is in several areas including employee wellness, use of force, police tactics, curriculum development, diversity, discrimination, conflict management and community engagement. In retirement, she is a proud member of the Verizon VFRAC and also teaches at Pepperdine University in the Mediation Program and the Psychology of Conflict communication at their Law School, and at the University of Chicago Policing Leadership Academy. Sandy Jo consults with law enforcement agencies across the nation including with the University of Chicago Crime Lab assisting with several projects pertaining to community engagement, training reform, early warning systems, and officer wellness. She is currently involved with the research teams out of the University of Chicago in which they are studying reduction of bias, use of force while also building trust within the community. Sandy Jo earned her Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Arizona State University in 1980, a Master of Arts in Behavioral Science, specializing in negotiations and conflict management from California State University, Dominquez Hills in 1997, and Doctorate in Psychology from California Southern University in 2021.

Michelle Tavarez, Captain

Las Vegas Metropolitan PD

Michelle Tavarez is a Captain with the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, where she has served for over 23 years. Michelle is currently the commander of the Safe Neighborhoods Bureau where her responsibilities include overseeing the Gang Unit; Gang Investigations Team, Gang Enforcement Team, Juvenile Task Force and the Clark County Gang Task Force. The Narcotics Unit; Southern Nevada Drug Task Force (focusing on transnational drug trafficking), the Overdose Response Team, and the Narcotics Street Teams. The Vice Section; Vice Investigations Team, Vice Enforcement Team, and Southern Nevada Human Trafficking Task Force. The Gun Crime Intelligence Center; an LVMPD-led task force designed to use local and federal law enforcement to proactively reduce gun violence levering technology and traditional investigative techniques. The Violent Crime Reduction Team; an investigative unit that is responsible for crimes in which a firearm is used, focusing on crimes of violence and utilizing informants, surveillance, and overt/covert methods. Michelle obtained her bachelor’s degree from Liberty University majoring in Criminal Justice and graduating Summa Cum Laude. Law enforcement runs in Michelle’s blood as both of her parents retired from LVMPD; her father as a Police Captain in 2015 and her mother as an Abuse and Neglect Specialist in 2018. She is most proud of her four young children and her ability to balance both her professional career and motherhood.

Danielle Warner

Crisis Response - Sr. Manager, Verizon Frontline Crisis Response Team

Danielle is the Sr. Crisis Response Manager for Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. During times of crisis and large events, she deploys mission-critical communication assets to public safety agencies, emergency operation centers, and relief shelters. Throughout her 25 year Verizon career, Danielle closely partnered with the Department of Defense, Federal Law Enforcement, and numerous other agencies to strategically deploy large scale advanced data solutions. Danielle spent time as a member of the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency where she volunteered on behalf of Verizon to help develop Verizon's preparedness strategy within the state. She is a licensed FAA Part 107 Pilot and has successfully been involved in numerous SAR and VIP operations. She is on the Steering Committee for a statewide drone agency to help encourage women to pursue careers in drones and technology.

Allison Mendoza-Pemberton

Head of Strategy, Verizon Frontline

Deborah A Snyder — Moderator

Senior Fellow, Center for Digital Government

Deb is an accomplished C-level executive, influencer and educator who has dedicated her career to improving state and local government services through policy and technology innovation. She has a broad range of experience in government programs, policy, cybersecurity, privacy and information technology. She formerly served as New York state’s chief information security officer, where she led the state’s cybersecurity programs and directed the NYS Cyber Command Center. She works with organizations and universities to strategically strengthen cybersecurity programs, defenses and preparedness, and to create and inspire the next generation of cyber leaders.