Kristen Ziman is the boss you always wish you had! Like the legendary example of the kid who started in the mailroom and rose to be company CEO, Kristen started her police career as a 19-year-old cadet and rose through the ranks to become Chief of the Aurora, Illinois Police Department.

Listen as she talks about growing up in Aurora, the daughter of a police officer, and why, from the time she was six, she had only one goal., to follow in her father’s footsteps.

Kristen discusses her career and the personal and professional challenges she faced, and how she worked through them. She also addresses the juxtaposition of being a woman, a police officer, and a leader and how she has had to judiciously deal with questions, comments, and biases, both pro and con, about women as leaders in a police environment. She speaks to character, competency and experience as the critical and defining attributes of an effective leader. 

To learn more about Kristen, go to her website: www.kristenziman.com where you can also access information about her podcast “The Hollow Bunny”, and her book “Re-Imagining Blue: Thoughts on Life, Leadership and a New Way Forward in Policing”