Dr. Tracie L. Keesee

Dr. Tracie L. Keesee is the Co-founder, President, and Chief Operating Officer at the Center For Policing Equity (CPE). In this critical position, Dr. Keesee guides the day-to-day implementation of CPE’s mission, which is to do "science to promote justice." In her role, she leads programs, operations, and long-term strategic planning. She oversees 140 members of the CPE team, bringing cutting-edge programs and research to cities across the country in support of Black liberation.

Dr. Keese’s lifetime of work dismantling inequitable systems, ensuring Black and intersecting communities have a voice in the co-creation of public safety, led to her 2021 appointment to the United Nations Human Rights Council’s international independent expert mechanism. This group is charged with advancing racial justice and equality in law enforcement in all parts of the world.

She served as NYPD's first-ever Deputy Commissioner of Equity and Inclusion. Dr. Keesee was responsible for the overall organizational development and implementation of the NYPD's Equity and Inclusion strategic framework. She also served as an advisor to the Police Commissioner on implementing accountability systems that monitor training, recruitment, employee opportunities, and complaints to help increase the organization's ability to attract and retain an inclusive and diverse workforce.

Dr. Keesee also served as the Deputy Commissioner of Training for the NYPD. During her tenure with the Training Bureau, she directed the implementation of the paperless police academy, the expansion of in-service training capabilities through NYPD University, the restructuring of the recruit curriculum, the expansion of CIT and integrated tactics training, as well as the creation of the Credible Leadership Initiative for UMOS, to name a few.Dr. Keesee is a retired 25-year veteran of the Denver Police Department and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from Metropolitan State College-Denver, academic certifications in Public Policy and Public Administration, and a Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from the University of Colorado at Denver, and a Ph.D. in Intercultural Communications from the University of Denver, and a Diversity and Inclusion Certification from Cornell University. She is also a graduate of the 203rd Session of the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia. Dr. Keesee has published numerous articles across various collected anthologies and peer-reviewed scientific journals.