Gloria Reyes named Deputy County Manager of Safety and Justice Service Team
Ramsey County named Gloria Reyes as the next deputy county manager of the Safety and Justice Service Team. Reyes was selected by county staff and community through a competitive search process that started in January as the county prepared for the current deputy county manager of Safety and Justice to retire in June.
“I am thrilled to welcome Gloria Reyes to Ramsey County,” said County Manager Johanna Berg. “Gloria is a strategic thinker with the determination, passion and collaborative spirit that will drive this critical work to the next level, creating a safer and more just future for all.”
The Safety and Justice Service Team includes the County Attorney’s Office, Emergency Communications Center (911), Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Medical Examiner’s Office, Sheriff’s Office as well as providing support functions for the Second Judicial District Court. The Safety and Justice Service Team has a budget of approximately $160 million and over 1,000 employees focused on initiatives and projects that work toward enhancing the wellbeing of residents through effective public safety and justice services to keep all residents and visitors safe.
With over 20 years of experience in government leadership, the criminal justice system, public safety reform, and community safety intervention work, Reyes has held successful tenures at the Wisconsin State Public Defender’s Office, Wisconsin Department of Justice, Madison Police Department, Madison Department of Civil Rights, and Madison’s Mayoral Office as Deputy Mayor for Public Safety. She currently serves as the co-deputy director of Dane County Human Services in Wisconsin where she provides strategic and operational leadership for a department of more than 800 employees who provide an array of health and social service programs to over 65,000 people in Dane County, Wisconsin each year.
A dedicated public servant, Reyes has committed her career to the criminal justice system. She has extensive experience in solving public safety challenges through a community and racial equity lens. She has led a variety of initiatives involving restorative justice practices and deferred prosecution and has spent her career working with communities to find solutions to complex challenges and root causes of violence.
An example of one such initiative that she is particularly proud of is her work with the Madison Community Safety Intervention Team (CSIT). CSIT is a multi-agency, collaborative group that reviews information about violent incidents, with a special focus on gun violence. By adopting a public health perspective, CSIT aims to not only intervene in violent incidents, but also to understand and tackle the root causes of violence to prevent future violence from occurring. The work includes providing trauma support for individuals affected by violence with a particular focus on breaking the generational cycle of violence.
“I am honored to step into this role and look forward to collaborating with leadership, staff and partners from across the community to take the good work already being done and drive it forward towards transformational change in alignment with the county’s strategic plan,” said Gloria Reyes. “All of us together have the opportunity to create a brighter, more equitable, and safe future for everyone.”
Reyes first official day with the county is Monday, May 13 which allows for a month of collaborative transition time with retiring Deputy County Manager Scott Williams. Williams has been with the county for 19 years and served as the deputy county manager of Safety and Justice for the last nine years of his tenure.