7/29/2025 Webinar – Journeys Through Public Safety: Vignettes of Leadership

Mike Milstein began in local government when he joined the Chicago Mayor’s Office in 2016 during a time when the City of Chicago and Chicago Police Department were under a Department of Justice investigation that later found severe practices of unconstitutional policing. Mike immediately began supporting the City’s response to the investigation and early plans for reform, including the negotiation of a consent decree. Once implemented, he led the Mayor’s Office’s early infrastructure around the implementation of the new consent decree. In 2020, a week before the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, Mike joined the Chicago Police Department’s Office of Community Policing, where he led the Department’s effort to engage communities around reform and impartial policing efforts.

Since joining the Chicago Police Department, Mike has been instrumental in leading the Chicago Police Department’s efforts to implement impartial policing practices. He’s worked with communities to create forward-thinking policies, trainings, and programs that impact many diverse communities, including the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, religious minorities, and victims of gender-based violence. In July of 2024, Mike launched the Chicago Police Department’s Office of Equity and Engagement, a brand-new team within the Department solely focused on advancing and supporting equity and impartial policing throughout the Chicago Police Department. Mike additionally took over the Chicago Police Department’s new Office of Victim Services, which includes support services for victims and survivors of gun violence, domestic violence, and other forms of gender-based violence.

Mike got his start in public service by working on and volunteering for several political and social campaigns where he was an advocate for justice and fairness. Mike has a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago, a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and completed the Executive Program for Social Impact Strategy from the University of Pennsylvania.

Kyle Macdonald brings over a decade of diverse experience in politics and government, having served at the local, county, state, and federal levels. His background includes work on political campaigns, public agency service, and positions held in U.S. Congressional offices — both in Washington, D.C. and in-district. His diversity in experience is equally matched with his diversity of geographical reach. His career has taken him from California to Washington DC, Texas to Virginia, and back to California again.

Having experience in a wide array of policy areas, Kyle has analyzed and advocated issues across the spectrum.

Specializing in public safety matters, Kyle presently serves as Director of Government Affairs for the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District, one of the largest fire districts and public ambulance providers in the state of California. In this capacity, he acts as chief legislative liaison to federal, state, and local elected officials, and analyzes legislation for its impact on the district and community as a whole. Prior to Metro Fire, he served the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office in the same capacity. During that time, he was at the forefront of law enforcement’s evolution in recent years, working closely to ensure the desires of our legislature, the wants of our community, and the needs of our society were thoughtfully balanced, implemented, and upheld.

Born and raised in Carmel, California, Kyle was a product of public schools. During that time, he had teachers who didn’t just educate, but also inspired him to look at issues strategically, reflectively, and with a focus on balancing differing perspectives. These skillsets are still used by Kyle daily. He earned his Associate Degree with Honors in Political Science from Monterey Peninsula College before transferring to California State University, Sacramento, where he majored in Government.

With a father that was a fire fighter, a mother who worked as a librarian, two brothers that served honorably in the United States Marine Corps, and a sister that’s a grade-school teacher, Kyle grew up surrounded with a sense of service to one’s community. That upbringing instilled in him a deep appreciation and strong passion for public service. To that end, he has dedicated himself to advocating for causes, advancing policies, and supporting individuals and organizations that work to better our community for all.

Kyle and his wife reside in California’s capital region. A lifelong San Francisco Giants fan, he enjoys traveling with his wife, spending time on the golf course, and attending country music concerts.

Elizabeth M. Daitz is the Assistant Commissioner of Police for the Suffolk County Police Department. She drives strategic planning, implementation, and innovation, positioning Suffolk County to be one of the most innovative, efficient, effective and equitable law enforcement agencies while serving over 1.5 million residents across 913 square miles. She previously served as Executive Director, Civil Litigation and Executive Director, Strategic Initiatives for the NYPD. From 2019-2020, Elizabeth served as a White House Fellow in the Office of the Chief of Staff to the President. There, she drafted and implemented the President’s Executive Order “Safe Policing for Safe Communities.” Elizabeth began her career at the Office of the Corporation Counsel of the City of New York, where she handled multiple high profile federal civil rights cases. Elizabeth is a graduate of the Honors College at Adelphi University, St. John’s University School of Law, and a Session XXIX of the Police Management Institute at Columbia University. She is a member of the International Association of Chiefs of Police, Police Executive Research Forum, National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives, Chiefs of Police Association of Suffolk County, and the White House Fellows Foundation and Association.

Mr. Marvin Haiman is an Assistant Professor and the Executive Director of Public Safety and Justice at the University of Virginia. He is also a Visiting Fellow and Research Scholar with Rutger’s University. Haiman served as the Chief of Staff for the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C. between 2021 and 2024. In this capacity, Haiman oversaw daily operations of the Executive Office of the Chief of Police and was responsible for broad agency management and implementing strategic agency objectives.

Haiman was responsible for several organizational units including the Office of Communications, Office of General Counsel, Office of Wellness and the Professional Development Bureau. He served as the Executive Director of the Professional Development Bureau between 2017 – 2021, leading the Recruiting Division, Metropolitan Police Academy Division, Human Resource Management Division, Disciplinary Review Division, Testing and Assessment Division, Equal Employment Opportunity Division, Office of Communications and the Strategic Engagement Office (Volunteer Services).

Prior to being named Executive Director, Haiman served in a variety of capacities between 2015-2017, including developing the agency’s Office of Volunteer Coordination, serving as Chief of Staff for the Technical Services Division tasked with a broad range of IT operations, and Chief of Staff for the Strategic Services Bureau supporting and leading the administration of police recruitment, training, policy and volunteer service matters for the Department.

Prior to returning to the Metropolitan Police Department, Haiman served as Director for the Homeland Security Advisory Council for the United States Department of Homeland Security, where he established several key task forces for the Secretary (e.g., Foreign Fighters, Integrity & Use of Force). Prior to his Federal service, Haiman led the Recruiting Division for the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, D.C., among various other positions. Haiman was responsible for restructuring the sworn hiring process, decreasing the amount of time it took to process candidates while increasing the quality of those officers hired.

Haiman graduated from The Johns Hopkins University with a master’s degree in management through the Police Executive Leadership Program. He earned his undergraduate degree in mathematics from the University of Iowa and received designation as a Certified Public Management Program through George Washington University, as well as certification in Strategic Project Management. Haiman is also a graduate of the Naval Postgraduate School Center for Homeland Defense and Security’s Executive Leadership Program. He received recognition by the International Association of Chiefs of Police in 2020 as a 40 under 40 recipient and the prestigious Gary P. Hayes Award by the Police Executive Research Forum. Haiman graduated from the Metropolitan Police Academy and continues his police service as a reserve police officer with the Metropolitan Police Department. Haiman resides with his family in Washington, D.C.