Special Assistant to the President

Contact Info:

Dr. RaShall M. Brackney, PhD

Position: Chief of Police (Retired)
Work Email: [email protected]
Charlottesville Police Department

Prior to her appointment as Distinguished Full Professor of Practice at George Mason University, Dr. RaShall M. Brackney retired from the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police with more than 30 years of service. Dr Brackney also served as the Chief of Police for George Washington University and in Charlottesville, Virginia after the deadly “Unite the Right” rally.

Dr. Brackney is a recognized expert in the areas of harm reduction, procedural and restorative justice practices, and community-police relations. Her teaching and research interests focus on police legitimacy, transparency, and discretion, as well as deconstructing and dismantling institutions of supremacy. Due to her work in these areas, along with her work in social and racial justice, Dr. Brackney was granted a fellowship to Carnegie-Mellon University’s, Institute for Politics and Strategy where she specializes in the influence of race on politics and policy. Dr. Brackney will begin a fellowship with Harvard University’s Advanced Leadership Initiative in Jan of 2024. Currently, Dr. Brackney is the host of  new “Black Arm of the Law,” podcast and is working on a book manuscript entitled, “The Bruising of America—When Black, White and Blue Collide.”

Dr. Brackney earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Carnegie-Mellon University and a Ph.D. from Robert Morris University. Dr. Brackney is a graduate of the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Virginia; the United States Secret Service Dignitary Protection course in Washington, D.C., and Leadership Pittsburgh XIX.