Meet Our Staff
Gino Betts, Director
Gino Betts leads the work of OPA by overseeing the intake, classification, and investigation of complaints, certifying investigative findings, suggesting modifications to Seattle Police Department policies, and making recommendations on discipline to the Chief of Police.
Gino is a highly experienced and committed career public servant. Before coming to OPA, he served as a Cook County Assistant State’s Attorney where he led the Southside Community Justice Center. He previously worked at the Chicago Office of Police Accountability and the Cook County Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Gino studied International and Comparative Constitutional Law in Cape Town, South Africa. He also teaches legal writing at DePaul University and trial advocacy at the University of Illinois at Chicago. Outside of work, Gino has served on several nonprofit boards, including those focused on community engagement, public safety, and diversifying the legal field.
Bonnie Glenn, Deputy Director
Deputy Director Glenn assists Director Betts in oversight of investigations and operations at the Office of Police Accountability (OPA). This includes intake, classification, and investigation of complaints, preparing policy recommendations to the Seattle Police Department, review of proposed legislation and making recommendations on discipline to the Chief of Police. Also, Deputy Director Glenn has oversight of OPA’s budget and administrative operations.
Deputy Director Glenn brings over twenty-five years of legal and judicial experience to the Office of Police Accountability (OPA). Before coming to OPA, she served for more than seven years as an administrative law judge with the Office of Administrative Hearings, presiding over hearings for the State of Washington. Deputy Director Glenn also served as Deputy Chief of Staff at the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office, and assistant to the Secretary of the Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) on Juvenile Justice. Furthermore, she has served as a director of the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration for Parole and Community Programs and served as a lead assistant city attorney and acting director of the Domestic Violence Unit with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office.
Additionally, Deputy Director Glenn has served as an adjunct faculty member at Seattle University’s Criminal Justice, Criminology & Forensics Department and Seattle University School of Law. She has served on various boards and commissions over the years and now to help improve our community and uplift others in need.
Nelson Leese, General Counsel
Nelson coordinates and directs OPA’s legal matters and advises leadership on investigative, collective bargaining, policy, and compliance issues while working closely with the Seattle City Attorney’s Office and Labor Relations. He also supervises OPA’s legal team — which consists of an assistant general counsel and two public disclosure officers — and OPA’s policy manager.
Nelson is a seasoned municipal attorney with a background in federal civil rights litigation and juvenile delinquency prosecution. He joined OPA from the New York City Law Department where he served in both the Special Federal Litigation and Family Court Divisions. As a senior counsel in the Special Federal Litigation Division, Nelson represented the City of New York and individual officers in federal civil rights lawsuits. As an assistant corporation counsel in Brooklyn Family Court, he prosecuted felony and misdemeanor juvenile delinquency cases.
Nelson is a 2013 graduate of Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio. From 2015 to 2017, he served as a law clerk to the Hon. Arthur I. Harris at the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Ohio.
Katie Maier, Assistant Director of Operations
Katie coordinates the administrative and training work conducted by OPA. She is responsible for directly supervising the administrative staff, policy and data staff, project manager and the community engagement team for OPA, all civilian positions. In addition, Katie supports the training and professional development initiatives for all OPA team members.
Katie joined OPA in 2019 after working in higher education for 7 years overseeing residential and campus life at two different universities. She brings with her experience as a former department head as well as serving as an adjunct professor at the undergraduate and graduate level for leadership studies.
Katie is a 2012 graduate of Seattle University (BA & BPA) and a 2015 graduate of The College of St. Scholastica (MBA).
Dan Okada, Assistant Director of Investigations
Dan oversees a team of sworn and civilian investigators to ensure that OPA’s investigations are objective, thorough, and timely.
Before joining OPA, he worked for over 22 years as a Senior Assistant City Prosecutor for the Seattle City Attorney’s Office where he held multiple positions including supervising the trial team, handling Community Court duties, and serving as a precinct liaison.
Dan attended the University of Washington for both undergrad and law school. Go Dawgs.
Geneva Taylor, Sr. Community Engagement Specialist & Restorative Justice Coordinator
Geneva leads OPA’s mediation program and restorative justice initiatives while engaging with community stakeholders through informational presentations. Her goal is to bring officers and community members together through restorative practices.
A native of Seattle, Geneva has worked at multiple nonprofits in the Rainier Valley area including Seattle Union Gospel Mission, Urban Impact Seattle, and Community Passageways where she engaged in reconciliation work through circle-keeping and other restorative programs. A gifted certified mediator, she’s been helping people navigate difficult conversations through mediation and conflict resolution for years.
Geneva earned her master’s degree in Reconciliation and Intercultural Studies in 2017 from Seattle Pacific University.
In her free time, Geneva works as a fashion consultant and enjoys spending quality time with her family.
Civilian Staff
OPA has additional civilian staff members who conduct a variety of functions, including administrative tasks, community engagement, policy and data analysis, operational management, and investigations.
Sworn Staff
OPA has nine SPD sergeants on staff who conduct administrative misconduct investigations. They generally serve at OPA for a few years before rotating to a different SPD assignment.