Denise Campbell appointed executive director, community safety

Denise Campbell has joined Ryerson University as executive director of community safety, effective November 20.

With a 26-year career spanning the policing and post-secondary fields, Campbell comes to Ryerson from Cape Breton University, where she spent five years as the manager of safety, security and risk.

“We’re so pleased to have Denise join the team, which will continue to focus on community safety and security for the Ryerson community,” said Janice Winton, vice-president, administration and finance. “She brings extensive experience in policing in Toronto as well as in a university environment. Denise understands the challenges of working in an urban environment, and also knows the spirit of a downtown community.”

“I’m a strong advocate of community engagement; everyone must play a role in keeping the campus community safe and secure” said Campbell. “For people who call Ryerson their home—where they learn, where they work, where they live, where they play, whatever their role is in this community—a holistic approach to campus safety and security is key”.

“There so much energy at Ryerson, and I really get that sense of community, and that people want to be safe in their space. By engaging internal and external stakeholders in conversations, my vision is making it a safer, more secure campus.”

At Cape Breton University, she was responsible for developing the university’s strategy for campus safety, and was instrumental in the development of the sexual violence policy, the emergency management plan and the Violence on Campus Prevention & Response training video and its communication strategy. She also developed a training program for risk identification and mitigation strategies for employees.

Prior to CBU, she worked for 19 years at the Toronto Police Services, holding progressively senior roles from officer to sergeant to detective. Her accomplishments included managing hundreds of investigations; training new constables; working with GTA schools to help curb street violence; and assisting in the development of Toronto’s first Student Police Liaison Committee, a program still in place. Campbell also holds a bachelor of arts from York University and has numerous certifications related to risk management.


Members of the search committee are listed below:

Lisa Barnoff
Dean, Faculty of Community Services

Keith Christie
Manager, Investigations and Crime Prevention

Tony Conte
Executive Director, Office of the Vice-President, Administration and Finance

Toni De Mello
Director, Human Rights Services

Saher Fazilat
Assistant Vice-President, Facilities Management and Development

Monica McKay
Director, Aboriginal Initiatives

Jesmen Mendoza
Psychologist, Centre for Student Development and Counselling.

Marcelle Mullings
Manager, Student Dispute Resolution, Prevention and Education

Christina Sass-Kortsak
Assistant Vice-President Human Resources