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Stephanie Johanssen named executive director of London Police Service Board

Aug. 29, 2024, London, Ont. – The London Police Service Board (LPSB) has announced the appointment of Stephanie Johanssen as its Executive Director, following a comprehensive national recruitment process.

Johanssen joins the London Police Service Board with over a decade of service in public safety, extensive expertise in board governance, strategic planning, communications and stakeholder relations. As the former Executive Director of the Vancouver Police Board, Johanssen will be responsible for assisting the board with continuing to deliver better policing services for the City of London.

A civilian leader in public safety nationally, Johanssen’s career at the Vancouver Police Department, which began in 2011 after several years in the financial services sector, included a period in the Professional Standards Section where she gained valuable insights into civilian oversight of policing, conflict management, and alternate dispute resolution. During her subsequent eight years with the Vancouver Police Board, Johanssen channelled her passion for police governance into initiatives that enhanced community outreach, reduced hate crimes, strengthened governance policies, ensured adequate resources for policing, and laid the foundation for a robust equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) framework for the Board.

In acting as the Vancouver Police Board’s liaison to the B.C. Association of Police Boards, Stephanie collaborated on a wide range of issues affecting policing and police governance in British Columbia. She also forged strong connections with peers in Ontario through the Canadian Association of Police Governance (CAPG) and intends to apply her collaborative mindset to strengthen the voice of police governance in this Province.

Johanssen has completed the B.C. Police Board’s Program through the Institute of Corporate Directors and the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management Executive Programs. Currently, Stephanie is an Executive MBA candidate at Queen’s University Smith School of Business.

Over the past year, the London Police Service Board has embarked on a comprehensive journey to ensure the London Police Service is positioned to provide exceptionally better service to the residents of London. Whether it’s securing necessary investments in our frontline officers and civilian staff, making additions to the senior leadership team, or implementing new policies and expectations to ensure effective accountability, the Board’s resolve to making the necessary changes to ensure London becomes a Safer City Now is unwavering.