LWOB 2025: Opening Keynote Panel

A seasoned government leader with experience in multiple New York City agencies, Amy Bishop currently serves as the Executive Director of the Project Management Office within the New York City Police Department. Amy joined the NYPD In 2017 as a Senior Project Manager, working with Department stakeholders to drive initiatives to increase efficiency through innovation and continuous improvement. Over the next seven years, she rose through the ranks of Deputy Director, Director, and most recently to Executive Director in June 2024. In this role, Amy leads a team of both civilian and uniformed staff managing projects that advance the Department’s mission. Among her accomplishments in these roles are the development of the NYPD Strategic Plans, the Department’s first health & wellness strategy, a Department-wide civilianization assessment, and the implementation of various police reform mandates.

Amy began her career in public service in 2006 at the Department of Transportation, supporting the agency’s small purchase and contracting processes. In June 2007, she joined the Mayor’s Office of Operations under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, leading mayoral and interagency initiatives to drive change and efficiencies citywide, including the launch of an interactive KPI dashboard, the revamp of the City’s response to street conditions, and the release of the largest municipal customer satisfaction survey ever distributed. In 2014, Amy joined the Department of Citywide Administrative Services, overseeing efforts to improve customer service and program effectiveness.

Amy holds a Bachelor’s of Arts and Master’s of Public Administration from Binghamton University.

Ganesha M. Martin, Esq. is a leading expert in human-centered policing and the founder of ”Let’s Meet in the Middle,” an initiative dedicated to fostering dialogue and collaboration between law enforcement and communities of color. Currently, she serves as Vice President of Public Policy and Community Affairs at Mark43, a cutting-edge, cloud-native public safety software company. In this role, Martin drives initiatives that leverage technology to enhance accountability, transparency and trust between police agencies and the communities they serve.

A trailblazer in criminal justice reform, Martin has held several key leadership positions in Baltimore City government, most recently as Director of the Mayor’s Office of Criminal Justice (MOCJ). There, she led comprehensive criminal justice reform efforts in collaboration with the Baltimore Police Department, the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s Office, the Governor’s Office of Crime Control and Prevention, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the judiciary and numerous community organizations.

As an attorney, Martin played a central role in leading the federal court-ordered Consent Decree reform efforts at the Baltimore Police Department from 2015 to 2018. As Chief of the Department of Justice Compliance, Accountability and External Affairs Division, she was an integral member of the negotiation team that introduced transformative reforms in areas such as crisis intervention, use of force, mental health interventions, body-worn cameras, de-escalation tactics, community policing, officer wellness and early intervention systems. These reforms continue to serve as a model for law enforcement agencies nationwide.

A pioneer in public-private partnerships, Martin is committed to building nontraditional relationships that bridge divides and create opportunities for collaboration in public safety. In her current consulting work, she focuses on uniting law enforcement with communities of color, using her unique ability to connect with both sides and guide them toward common ground. She regularly advises nonprofits, private companies, tech startups, community organizations and local governments on best practices for policing, public safety and community engagement.

Martin is a respected thought leader in the field of criminal justice reform and public safety. She is a member of the Council on Criminal Justice, a nonpartisan think tank dedicated to advancing effective criminal justice policies. In 2019, she was one of 40 community policing experts invited to Nairobi, Kenya, by the Open Society Foundations to discuss strategies for civilian police reform. That same year, she was awarded the Securing Open Societies Fellowship. Her expert commentary on police reform, accountability and social justice has been featured in prominent publications including The New York Times, The Washington Post, USA Today, The Baltimore Sun, and The Baltimore Banner.

Known for her ability to navigate complex issues and overcome entrenched distrust, Martin is driven by a belief in the transformative power of communication and human connection. Her approach fosters collaboration across polarized groups and drives progress on some of society’s most challenging social issues. Her goal is to create practical pathways for police departments and communities to work together toward a safer and more equitable future.

Outside of her professional work, Martin is a passionate advocate for social justice and community empowerment. She serves as co-board chair for Teach For America  Baltimore, Outward Bound, the Baltimore Community Mediation Center, and Overcoming Poverty Together. She was recently appointed to 30×30, a grassroots movement dedicated to increasing the representation of women in policing by 30% by 2030. A graduate of Leadership Maryland and the Greater Baltimore Committee’s LEADERship program, Martin has been recognized for her leadership and impact by organizations such as The Baltimore Sun (Top 25 Women to Watch), The Daily Record (Top 100 Women), and the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) (Top 40 Under 40).

Brian G. Maxey serves as the Director of Constitutional Policing for the Los Angeles Police Department, commanding the Constitutional Policing and Policy Bureau.

Brian previously served as General Counsel and Chief Operating Officer of the Seattle Police Department, overseeing Professional Standards, Budget and Finance, Administrative Services, Information Technology, and Intergovernmental Relations. He led the Department’s compliance work under its federal consent decree, driving reforms that took SPD beyond what the decree required and building accountability and constitutional policing systems designed to outlast federal oversight. He served as Executive Sponsor for major technology projects, such as implementation of a new records management system, creation of the Data Analytics Platform, and development of the Real Time Crime Center.

Brian is a civil rights litigator with more than twenty years of experience defending law enforcement officers and municipalities. He was a Supervising Assistant City Attorney at the Seattle City Attorney’s Office, serving as lead attorney for the Police Action Team on 42 U.S.C. § 1983 litigation and as principal legal advisor to SPD, and previously as an Assistant City Attorney in Government Affairs. Earlier, he was an Assistant Corporation Counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Unit of the New York City Law Department, representing the NYPD, and an Assistant Attorney General in the Criminal Justice Division of the Washington State Attorney General’s Office, representing the Department of Corrections and the Criminal Justice Training Commission. He has served on federal monitoring teams as Deputy Monitor in Cleveland and as a subject matter expert in Baltimore.

Most recently, Brian was Senior Counsel at Baker, Sterchi, Cowden & Rice LLC and a founding member of the firm’s Public Sector Risk Management & Consulting Group. He is also principal of Modern Policing/The Maxey Group LLC, through which he has consulted nationally on policing best practices. Earlier in his career, he worked at the Vera Institute of Justice on jury and juvenile court reform.

Brian holds a JD from Fordham University, an MPA in Policy from New York University, and a BA from Occidental College, and attended the Police Executive Research Forum’s Senior Management Institute for Police. He is licensed to practice law in California, Washington, and New York.

Tanya Meisenholder, Ph.D., is the Director of Police Research at the NYU School of Law’s Policing Project. She brings nearly three decades of law enforcement and public safety experience, including nearly 20 years with the New York City Police Department. During her tenure at the NYPD, Dr. Meisenholder served in senior leadership roles, including Deputy Commissioner and Chief of Staff to the First Deputy Commissioner, where she guided major organizational initiatives and supported leadership development.

Throughout her career, she has led department-wide efforts centered on policy, accountability, officer development, employee engagement, workforce strategy, and the employee lifecycle. Her work is rooted in the understanding that proactive workforce strategies are directly connected to officer safety, wellness, and retention. Today, Dr. Meisenholder partners with agencies nationwide to translate these insights into practice, advising on organizational change to build safer, more supportive, and more effective law enforcement organizations.

Blake Norton, Chief Strategy Officer for the Sacramento Police Department, brings more than 30 years of distinguished experience in law enforcement and strategic management. As Chief Strategy Officer, Chief Norton oversees internal compliance, ensuring our operations meet all legislative mandates, and plays a key role in implementing best practices in risk management. Additionally, she leads our external communication efforts, advising on how we engage with the community, City Council, Sacramento Community Police Review Commission, and other stakeholders. Prior to joining SPD, she served as the Chief Strategy Officer for the Philadelphia Police Department from 2020 to 2024, where she was instrumental in shaping the department’s strategic initiatives. Before that, she held the position of Senior Vice President at the National Police Foundation, overseeing daily operations and initiatives aimed at improving policing practices across the country. Chief Norton’s extensive career also includes leadership roles at the Council of State Governments Justice Center, where she directed Local Government Initiatives, collaborating with policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels to develop and implement innovative criminal justice policies. She spent 19 years with the Boston Police Department, where she served as the Director of Public Affairs and Community Programs. In this role, she was responsible for designing and managing community engagement initiatives, particularly those aimed at supporting court-involved and at-risk youth, underscoring her deep commitment to community policing.