Senior Subject Matter Expert
Chief of Police, Willow Park, Texas
Chief Ellis has over 30 distinguished years of service in law enforcement and most recently served as the Chief of Police and Director of Emergency Management with Temple College (2023-2024). Chief Ellis served the citizens of Willow Park from 2017-2023; prior to Willow Park, she served the citizens of Corinth from 1995-2016. While serving with the Willow Park Police Department, Chief Ellis facilitated the Department attaining the status of “Accredited Agency” with the Texas Police Chief’s Association and the development of new programs such as Citizens Police Academy, Clergy and Police Alliance, and National Night Out. Chief Ellis is also the 2020 recipient of the East Parker County Chamber of Commerce’s Pappy Thompson Community Service Award. Her other accomplishments include facilitating the development of the award-winning CSI: Camp in Corinth. Chief Ellis was honored as Officer of the Year in 2001 and Supervisor of the Year in 2009.
Chief Ellis earned a Bachelor of Applied Arts and Sciences from Midwestern State University (2003) and a Master of Public Administration from the University of Texas at Arlington (2007) and has completed over 30 hours toward her PhD. Chief Ellis is a 2009 graduate of the Institute for Law Enforcement Administration’s School of Police Supervision. She is also a 2015 graduate of the Bill Blackwood Leadership Command College, Class #74.
Chief Ellis is a member of the Central Texas Police Chief’s Association, the Texas Police Chiefs Association, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Chief Ellis serves the Texas Police Chiefs Association as the second vice president. She served on the Texas Police Chief’s Association Ethics Committee (2017-2019) and as chairperson of the Texas Police Chief’s Association Women’s Leadership Committee (2020-2023). Chief Ellis also served on the elected board of officers for the North Texas Police Chiefs Association and as a member of the North Central Texas Council of Governments Criminal Justice and Policy Development Committee. Chief Ellis previously served as the Vice Chair and the Board Chair of the Caruth Police Institute Executive Advisory and Steering Committee (2019-2022).
Chief Ellis enjoys cooking, traveling, and the occasional game of golf, but she mostly enjoys spending time with her family and her sweet German Shepherd, Zeke.