Chief Mary Eileen Paradis

Mary Eileen Paradis is chief of police and executive director of public safety for the Police and Public Safety Department. She has more than 30 years of experience in law enforcement, higher education public safety and emergency management.     

Before her 2021 appointment, Paradis was assistant vice president of safety and security at Marymount University in Arlington, Virginia, where she also oversaw the Office of Safety and Emergency Management, which promoted and contributed to the physical health and psychological well-being of the community through the prevention of campus crime, preparation and response to emergencies, and the establishment of a safe environment.  

Prior to her role at Marymount, Paradis served The George Washington University Police Department from 2014 to 2020 as interim chief of police and assistant chief of police, managing the safety and security of all five campuses in the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Virginia. 

She has also held the following leadership positions: senior director of safety and security at Corcoran Gallery of Art & College of Art + Design, director of security at Willard InterContinental, corporate director of loss prevention at Global Wireless Solutions, director of security at Westfield Wheaton Shopping Town, public safety director at Tysons Corner Center, and sworn member of the Chicago Police Department’s intelligence section for over 11 years. 

In 2017, The George Washington University recognized Paradis as a distinguished scholar for exemplary performance both inside and outside the classroom. In 2015, she received the Dr. Richard F. Southby Police Science Prize, presented to an exceptional graduating student from The George Washington University’s police & security studies program, where Paradis maintained a 4.0 GPA. She is a graduate of the Chicago Police Training Academy, holds a bachelor’s degree in police & security studies and master’s in cybersecurity strategy and information management from The George Washington University. She lives in Jackson.