LWOB 2025: Panel Discussion – “Retaining and Empowering Top Professional Talent”
Best practices for recruiting, supporting, and retaining professional staff in law enforcement. This session is focused on human resource aspects of policing.
Moderator
Tara Hall
Civilian Commander for the Community Relations and Recruitment Division, Mesa Police Department, Arizona
Tara Hall
Civilian Commander for the Community Relations and Recruitment Division, Mesa Police Department, Arizona
- Groups:2027 Valley of the Sun Regional Event Planning Committee, 5.21.2025 webinar, Board, Mesa 2026 Planning Committee, Tara Hall, Third Thursday 08.20.2026
Tara Hall
Civilian Commander for the Community Relations and Recruitment Division, Mesa Police Department, Arizona
Tara Hall is the Civilian Commander of Community Relations and Recruitment for the Mesa Police Department, Arizona’s third-largest agency. She oversees recruitment, career pathways, and community/youth programs, bringing over 20 years of leadership experience in public safety. In 2024, she co-authored “Pioneering Integration and Leadership in Law Enforcement” in Police Chief Magazine and was featured in Police1 for advancing Mesa PD’s recruitment culture. Tara led Mesa’s two-year Recruitment & Retention Strategic Plan, increasing women recruits to 22% by 2024. She manages the agency’s 30×30 Initiative and founded the Arizona 30×30 group to promote statewide progress for women in policing.
Tara was named NAWLEE’s 2025 Professional Staff Leader of the Year and is a recognized national speaker and AZWIN board member. She also helped develop UVA’s inaugural Civilian Leadership Summit and holds degrees from Northern Arizona University along with executive leadership training in policing.
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Panelists
Sarah Allen
Chief of Staff Colorado State Patrol
- Groups:11.20.2026 webinar panel, Board, Denver 2026 Speaker, Planning Committee - Denver 2026, Retaining and Empowering
Sarah Allen
Chief of Staff Colorado State Patrol
Sarah Allen, Chief of Staff at Colorado State Patrol. Sarah, appointed as the Colorado State Patrol’s first Chief of Staff in 2020, is a strong advocate for professional staff and their essential role in the success of law enforcement agencies. In November 2024, Sarah published The Unsung Heroes in IACP Police Chief Magazine, highlighting the impact of professional staff on organizational effectiveness.
Robin-Renee Johnson
Human Resource Manager Richmond Police Department
- Group:Retaining and Empowering
Robin-Renee Johnson
Human Resource Manager Richmond Police Department
Robin-Renee is the Human Resources Manager for the Richmond Police Department. With eight years of experience in human resources, she brings a fresh, diverse, and innovative perspective to the field of law enforcement. Although new to the public safety sector, Robin-Renee has already made a meaningful impact by streamlining and enhancing the recruitment efforts for professional staff. Her forward-thinking approach has been invaluable to the department’s strategic growth and continues to strengthen the mission of the Richmond Police Department.
Tanya Meisenholder
Director of Police Research at the NYU Policing Project
- Groups:Board, New York 2026 Planning Committee, New York 2026 Speaker, Opening Keynote Panel, Retaining and Empowering, Webinar - 05.06.2026
Tanya Meisenholder
Director of Police Research at the NYU Policing Project
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.
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Ashley Wojslawowicz
Research Manager & NIJ Leads Scholar
- Group:Retaining and Empowering
Ashley Wojslawowicz
Research Manager & NIJ Leads Scholar
Ashleigh Wojslawowicz, PhD, CSCSA, Research Manager & NIJ Leads Scholar. Ashleigh is a prominent researcher in law enforcement, currently serving as a Research Manager for the Charleston County Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in Charleston, SC. Her research, featured internationally, focuses on data-driven strategies to improve public safety and address recruitment and retention challenges in law enforcement. Key publications include Gauging the Impact of Negative Media Publicity on Career Decisions (2023, Policing: An International Journal) and Finding Success from Within (2024, Police Chief Magazine).
National Association of Professional Staff in Public Safety
