The Seattle Police Department is honored to announce that Chief Carmen Best was appointed Chair of the Seattle United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Leadership Council.
“The Seattle Police Department has worked incredibly hard to ensure our youth has access to the opportunities they deserve,” said Chief Carmen Best. “For more than 70 years, UNCF has been committed to the future of young people, awarding tens of thousands of scholarships to students, providing support to historically black colleges and universities, and advocating for minority education and community engagement. I am thrilled to serve as chair of the Seattle Chapter, and look forward to this opportunity to continue supporting our youth.”
“We are very excited that Chief Best will be the Chair of the Seattle UNCF Leadership Council,” said UNCF Area Development Director Linda Thompson-Black. “Carmen is an outstanding leader and we appreciate her sharing her talents with us. We are also excited she will be is serving as Interim Police Chief. Carmen will set a collaborative and inclusive tone. She is experienced and respected by the community and police officials across the country. Together we plan to expand educational and career opportunities for youth.”
Chief Best has served with the Seattle Police Department for 26 years. Prior to assuming the role of Interim Chief on January 1, 2018, she served as Deputy Chief, overseeing the Patrol Operations, Investigations, and Special Operations Bureaus, as well as the Community Outreach section.
Chief Best has completed the Senior Management Institute for Police, the FBI National Academy, and the Criminal Justice Executive Leadership Academy. In 2015, she received the “Newsmaker of the Year” award from the Seattle Black Press. In 2016, Chief Best completed the Major Cities Chiefs Association Police Executive Leadership Institute. She will receive her Master’s in Criminal Justice Leadership from Northeastern University later this year.
Chief Best is a member of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), the National Latino Police Officers Association (NLPOA), the Law Enforcement Immigration Task Force (LEITF) and the Human and Civil Rights Committee (HCRC) for the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). She is also on the Trustee Board for Lakeside School, the Visit Seattle Advisory Board, and is the Leadership Council Chair for the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) Seattle.
Chief Best is married and has two adult daughters.