Gina Hartsfield

Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees

Senior Advisor

Gina Hartsfield is the vice chair of the Board of Trustees and a senior advisor for the Institute for Intergovernmental Research (IIR). As vice chair, Ms. Hartsfield leverages her corporate experience and strong understanding of governance and financial oversight to support the Board chair and corporate leaders as they drive strategic direction for IIR and achieve corporate objectives. As senior advisor, Ms. Hartsfield offers strategic guidance, mentorship, and operational experience, drawing on more than 35 years of experience serving IIR clients and the criminal justice field. With an emphasis on partnerships, communication, and service, she has a proven ability to engage with stakeholders to solve problems, create a shared vision, and establish goals and objectives for projects and organizations. In addition, Ms. Hartsfield’s experience includes working with law enforcement leaders on strategic initiatives that advance best practices in policing in the areas of violent crime reduction, law enforcement operations, information sharing, investigations management, and risk mitigation.

Prior to becoming vice chair of the Board, Ms. Hartsfield served as Board chair from January 2023 to September 2024 and was responsible for overall corporate governance, financial stability, and strategic direction for IIR. She also served as president and chief executive officer of IIR from 2018 to 2022, leading IIR with vision, dedication, and a commitment to excellence. With a collaborative approach and a focus on adapting to changing needs and emerging trends, she prioritized fiscal responsibility, relationships, and stakeholder engagement, leading a dedicated team in achieving clients’ objectives and delivering innovative, efficiency-gaining solutions.

Ms. Hartsfield served as executive vice president of IIR from 2014 to 2018, also serving as chief operating officer from 2016 to 2018. As chief operating officer, she oversaw IIR’s Office of Law Enforcement Coordination, Criminal Justice Initiatives, Office of Applied Research, and Learning and Development. She also oversaw and directed the development, coordination, and delivery of national training and technical assistance services designed for criminal justice agencies. Prior to her appointment to chief operating officer, she oversaw IIR’s administrative and special projects team encompassing grants management and program support and information technology. During her time serving as IIR senior vice president and vice president in 2006–2013 and 2004–2005, respectively, Ms. Hartsfield provided leadership for IIR’s training group overseeing the coordination and delivery of U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) law enforcement training and technical assistance programs for IIR.

Ms. Hartsfield has extensive experience in needs assessment, strategic planning, and policy issues. She has worked with law enforcement executives on complex criminal justice matters and coordinated numerous operational assessments with law enforcement agencies. She is experienced in developing and coordinating national and regional conferences addressing violent crime, anti-human trafficking, organized crime, Project Safe Neighborhoods, intelligence-led policing, task force management, and more for DOJ. Previously, Ms. Hartsfield provided oversight for numerous DOJ-funded training and technical assistance programs addressing violent crime reduction; law enforcement officer safety and wellness; privacy, civil rights, and civil liberties; criminal intelligence sharing; investigations management; anti-terrorism; human trafficking; and more.

While in these various leadership roles, Ms. Hartsfield was integrally involved in establishing and leading strategic direction, management, and policy issues as well as project design and program oversight. Ms. Hartsfield is highly experienced in the delivery of comprehensive, data-driven, evidence-based training and technical assistance services in support of IIR clients and its mission.

Ms. Hartsfield joined IIR in 1986 and has been a member of the IIR Board of Trustees for 14 years and served on the IIR management team for nearly 20 years. Prior to joining IIR in 1986, Ms. Hartsfield served as a research and development assistant with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. In this capacity, she was involved in research efforts to support the department’s policies and operations. Ms. Hartsfield holds a bachelor of science degree in criminology from Florida State University and a professional certification from the Yale University School of Management Women’s Leadership Program.