#26. Chief Kristen Roman (Decisions and Impact)

Kristen Roman was appointed Associate Vice Chancellor and Chief of Police of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Police Department in January of 2017. She holds a master’s degree in Criminal Justice from Boston University, and a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. While a student at UW-Madison, she was a member of the UW Women’s Volleyball team. Prior to her appointment, Chief Roman served for 26 years with the City of Madison Police Department. During her tenure there, she held a variety of positions including Police Officer, Recruiting Officer, Community Relations Sergeant, Professional Standards & Internal Affairs Lieutenant, Detective Lieutenant, Patrol Operations Lieutenant, Special Events Team Commander, Crisis Negotiation Team Commander, and Community Outreach Captain. In addition, she coordinated department Critical Incident Stress Management efforts and developed and supervised the department’s Peer Support Program. A defining feature of Chief Roman’s career is her extensive work in the area of improving police services to people with mental illness. A past board member of NAMI Dane County and Journey Mental Health Center, she has conducted multiple local, statewide, and national trainings/presentations on police-mental health response and collaboration. Most recently, she developed and instructed a course for IACLEA’s Universal Issues Series entitled, Mental Health Concerns on Campus. In addition to her work as a trainer/presenter for IACLEA, and Distance Learning Committee member, Chief Roman has presented on various topics throughout her career including Leadership, Police Officer Wellness and Resiliency, and Campus Response to Protests and Demonstrations. A graduate of the Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command, PERF’s Senior Management Institute for Police, and IACLEA’s Executive Development Institute, Chief Roman is committed to collaborative approaches to ensuring safety and to the practice of always Reaching HIGHER.