News
Recent CPC Activity
Full Remarks by Dr. Cali Ellis at the March 1, 2023 Bi-Monthly Meeting
Seattle CPC Commissioners name Cali Ellis, PhD, Interim Executive Director of the CPC, 02/15/23
Please find the content of this press release below.
Letter of Response from SPD Regarding the Tragic Death of Jaahnavi Kandula, 02/15/2023
Letter of Response from SFD Regarding the Tragic Death of Jaahnavi Kandula, 02/15/2023
Op-Ed in the Seattle Times Authored by CPC Co-Chairs, 02/03/2023
WA Lawmakers Should Pass Two Bills to Increase Police Accountability
Letter of Condolence to the Memphis Community, 01/31/2023
To Vickie Terry, Executive Director of NAACP Memphis Branch
Letter of Inquiry to SPD Regarding the Tragic Death of Jaahnavi Kandula, 01/31/2023
To Chief Adrian Diaz, Chief of Seattle Police Department
Letter of Inquiry to SFD Regarding the Tragic Death of Jaahnavi Kandula, 01/31/2023
To Chief Harold Scoggins, Chief of Seattle Fire Department
NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 15, 2023
Seattle CPC Commissioners name Cali Ellis, PhD, Interim Executive Director of the CPC
Cali Ellis, PhD, has been named Interim Executive Director of the Seattle Community Police Commission to replace former ED, Brandy Grant. Currently, Dr. Ellis is Director of Policy, having joined the CPC in October. She is a proud Latina and resident of Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood.
Before leaving academia to join the CPC, Dr. Ellis was a professor in the Evergreen State College MPA program where she focused on improving online educational learning and making the MPA curriculum more focused on institutional racism, social equity and inclusion.
With her background in public policy, Dr. Ellis hopes to bring her applied academic skills for policy planning, analysis and presentation, to the CPC’s ongoing mission of community-based oversight of SPD and the police accountability system.
As a citizen volunteer, Dr. Ellis works on behalf of abused and battered people, working directly for survivors of domestic violence in the city of Seattle.
Dr. Ellis earned her Ph.D., MA, and MPP at the University of Michigan and her undergraduate degree from Bates college in Maine. She is the author of several academic research articles and a book on leadership and conflict.
Below are statements from Co-Chairs at this morning’s Bi-Monthly CPC Meeting:
From the Reverend Patricia Hunter:
“Dr. Ellis, we look forward to your stewardship in the coming weeks and months. We are grateful for your willingness to step up as our Interim Executive Director. Your policy background will serve the Seattle community well as you lead the work of the CPC.”
From Joel Merkel, Jr:
“Dr. Ellis, we are grateful for your excellent work as our Policy Director, and we are excited to work with you as our Interim Executive Director. Your experience in policy development will be a tremendous asset helping the CPC fulfill its mission under the Accountability Ordinance. As we move forward with our accountability partners, we welcome you as our Interim ED and thank you for your leadership and stewardship of the CPC.”
