The University of Michigan is kicking off a high-profile hunt for its next executive director of the Division of Public Safety and Security and is asking both the campus and the broader Ann Arbor community to speak up. The university has hired executive-search firm Spelman Johnson to steer the process and plans to host virtual town halls at the end of July. Interim leadership has been in place since last year, after Eddie Washington stepped down, and officials say the feedback they gather will help shape priorities for policing, emergency response and overall campus safety across the Ann Arbor, Flint and Dearborn campuses.
Spelman Johnson will meet with campus groups and is convening virtual town halls on July 30 from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. and July 31 from noon to 1 p.m., according to MLive. Community members can send nominations and comments by email to [email protected], and the outlet reports that the selection process itself will remain confidential so the university can attract a strong candidate pool. Administrators have not given a public timeline beyond the late July engagement events.
How the search will work
According to Spelman Johnson, its searches start with an "inclusive discovery" phase that leans heavily on stakeholder meetings to define what a campus wants in its next leader. The firm’s materials describe a process that includes targeted recruitment, thorough vetting and decision support for institutional leaders, steps that line up with the university’s plans for the DPSS search. In the coming weeks, Spelman Johnson says it will sit down with campus groups to collect input that will drive the candidate profile and selection priorities.
Who is on the committee and who is in charge for now
A 12-member search advisory committee will be led by chair Bobby Hewlett III and will include Law School Dean Neel U. Sukhatme, faculty members from U-M Flint and U-M Dearborn, and Ann Arbor Police Chief Andre C. Anderson. Interim Executive Director Richard Arnold has been heading DPSS since June 1, 2025, according to the division’s website, following Washington’s departure last year. "This is a pivotal leadership role, and we invite our community’s input as we seek a visionary and dedicated professional to guide DPSS in service," President Domenico Grasso said in a statement to MLive.
Why it matters to campus
DPSS oversees the University of Michigan Police Department and security operations for Michigan Medicine, which means the next executive director will have a major hand in both daily policing and the response to big events and emergencies. In 2021, the university created the Advancing Public Safety task force to review DPSS and suggest improvements, a report that stressed the importance of stakeholder input along with changes to governance and practice, according to the task force report. The current search comes as administrators say they want to keep those community priorities front and center while recruiting someone with deep operational experience and a strong commitment to campus engagement.
Officials say they will keep the actual candidate review confidential to help draw a diverse field, but the town halls and nomination inbox give students, staff and nearby residents a direct way to weigh in on what the next leader should focus on. Spelman Johnson is set to continue its outreach in the weeks ahead, and the advisory committee will eventually shift from listening mode to sifting through candidates and conducting interviews.
