PROFESSIONAL BIOGRAPHY: Ronnell A. Higgins, M.A.
Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection
1111 Country Club Road, Middletown, CT 06457
Email: DESPP.Commissioner@ct.gov
Executive Assistant to the Commissioner:
Kristina Wojcik; Kristina.Wojcik@ct.gov
Ronnell Higgins uniquely combines an executive leadership background spanning law enforcement, homeland security, academia, and professional training. He has served by appointment of Governor Ned Lamont as the Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Emergency Services and Public Protection (DESPP) since November 2023. In this role, he oversees and leads an agency of public servants totaling 950 troopers across 11 statewide troops and 550 civilians and public safety professionals—all dedicated to protecting and improving quality of life by providing a broad range of public safety services. Six fully accredited divisions comprise the agency: Connecticut State Police, Commission on Fire Prevention and Control, Emergency Management and Homeland Security, Police Officers Standards and Training Council, Scientific Services, and Statewide Emergency Telecommunications.
Ronnell has led transformative change across the agency—developing economies of scale, upleveling services to the state, and serving as a catalyst for visionary thinking and action. Select initiatives implemented in the first year in position as Commissioner include instituting 3 strategic pillars that have enhanced operations and supported success by providing transparency, driving optimized performance, and instilling ROI: operational efficiency, efficacy, and excellence; shared fiscal responsibility; and ethics and accountability. Ronnell reorganized the agency after a year-long, deep-dive assessment of existing resources, strengths, and organizational structure. He also hired the agency’s first data scientist.
Among key accomplishments were: bringing to fruition the “Clean Slate” project that had languished before Ronnell’s appointment; leading the agency through a major investigation that ultimately restored public trust (holding those responsible accountable); launching a traffic dashboard to ensure transparency; leading data-driven measures that reduced statewide fatalities by 34%; and broadening collaborative relationships with the community and elected officials.
Prior to his appointment as Commissioner for the DESPP, Ronnell worked at Yale University for more than 27 years, most recently as Associate Vice President for Public Safety and Community Engagement. Earlier roles with Yale included Chief of Police, Director of Public Safety, and Assistant Chief of Police, providing visionary leadership and direction across all facets of public and campus safety programs at the University.
In Ronnell’s former position as Yale’s AVP for Public Safety and Community Engagement, he oversaw a Police Department comprising 95 sworn officers and a Public Safety Department with more than 100 staff as well as managed a $30M operating budget with oversight of 3 collective bargaining units. He was highly instrumental in significantly reducing crime on campus, attaining a year-over-year decline in crime every year since 2011 (with 1 exception) and reducing UCR crimes to their lowest levels since Yale began reporting in 1985. He spearheaded numerous programs supporting excellence in on-campus safety, community policing, and deep collaborations with stakeholders, leaders, and members of both the University and City of New Haven communities. At the same time, he ensured a leading-edge focus on efforts to thwart terrorism (including both bad actor/domestic concerns as well as international activities).
Ronnell has been a Practitioner in Residence and professor at the University of New Haven since 2018. He also serves as a consultant/advisor in the University’s Center for Advanced Policing. He has earned a reputation for thought leadership, committed to educating those interested in law enforcement, public safety, and emergency management.
Ronnell’s expertise has been sought in numerous, high-profile scenarios—including consulting at Livingstone College in Salisbury, NC, following the 2022 shooting, and in Ferguson, MO, after the 2017 incident and contributing to the assessment of St. Louis County PD. He served as an Executive Fellow with the Police Foundation and is a past president of the South Central CT Chiefs of Police. Ronnell serves on the executive board for the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives for Connecticut (NOBLE). He was named among the “Most Influential in Security” by Security magazine in annual recognition of those deemed to have made a significant difference in the security field. Former recipients include Senator Joseph Lieberman, former FBI Director Robert Mueller, and INTERPOL Secretary General Ronald Noble.
Education
- Master of Arts, Security Studies (Homeland Security & Defense), Naval Postgraduate School
- Bachelor of Science, Law Enforcement Administration, University of New Haven