LWOB 2025: Leadership Lecture & Group Workshop: “Strategic Planning & Transformational Leadership in Law Enforcement Organizations”

Krista Ashbery has served as the United States Capitol Police’s (USCP) Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) since December 15, 2025. She has more than 20 years of legal, financial and leadership experience.

Ms. Ashbery began her career as an agency attorney for the New York City Police Department (NYPD), where she provided legal counsel to the executive team regarding enforcement, employment issues, civil matters, and agency procedures.

Ms. Ashbery later led the NYPD’s Facilities Management Division and Office of Capital Planning & Oversight where she managed a $250 million capital construction budget. She also served as Deputy Chief of Staff for the Police Commissioner before being named the Assistant Deputy Commissioner of Strategic Initiatives, where she managed the Department’s long-term strategic plan.

Ms. Ashbery recently served as the Chief of Staff for the NYPD’s First Deputy Commissioner, before joining the USCP in December of 2025.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts from Muhlenberg College and a Juris Doctorate from Brooklyn Law School.

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.

Dr. Staci Yutzie has been a civilian working in public safety for over twenty years. She is a National Institute of Justice Law Enforcement Advancing Data and Science (LEADS) scholar. Staci holds a bachelor’s in law enforcement, a master’s in justice management, and a doctorate in organizational change and leadership. Staci spent a decade at the Oregon Department of Public Safety Standards and Training (DPSST), serving in various leadership roles, including Agency Deputy Director, Training Director/Academy Dean, and Manager of the Center for Policing Excellence. There, she oversaw many statewide training and technical assistance programs, including basic academy training, advanced regional training, leadership training, and the research program. She is a change leader who works collaboratively with her public safety partners to solve organizational problems and improve outcomes. In Oregon, she led the state’s police training reform movement, seeking to replace outdated training content and methodologies with a contemporary, research and science-based model. Staci’s work on academy training earned DPSST the 2021 International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) Leadership in Law Enforcement Research award. Staci’s work bridges the gap between research and public safety by making research accessible and applicable to real-world issues. She co-authored an effectiveness evaluation of the Oregon police training academy published in 2021. She has been a presenter at the International Association of Chiefs of Police Conference and the National Symposium on Police Academies and Training. She now owns Catalyst Training Group, which assists police organizations with planning and implementing various change initiatives.