Gloria Reyes

has committed her career to public service, most recently serving as CEO of Briarpatch Youth Services. She is the first LatinX candidate to run for Mayor of Madison.

Gloria was raised in Madison attending Madison East High School, Madison College and the University of Wisconsin Madison where she received a Bachelor’s Degree in Behavioral Science & Law and Criminal Justice and a Masters in Public Administration with a focus on race, equity and policing. Later, she completed Leadership in Police Organizations training through the National Association of Chiefs of Police.

After completing her education, Gloria served as a law enforcement officer for the City of Madison Police Department for 13 years. She is founder of Amigos en Azul (Friends in Blue) comprised of officers dedicated to dissolving cultural barriers and building trust between the City of Madison Police Department and the Latino Community. She also began and lead the Diversity & Inclusion Team comprised of a diverse group of employees to review and assess the Madison Police Department through a racial equity lens and diversity efforts to address barriers in employment, development and promotional opportunities.

In 2014, Gloria was appointed to serve as deputy mayor for the City of Madison. As Deputy Mayor, she was responsible for several departments including public safety, community services, public health, civil rights, and served as education liaison. In addition, Gloria had oversight of the Racial Equity Social Justice Initiative for the City of Madison, that involved building the infrastructure, training and capacity around racial equity within city government operations.

Then, in 2018, Gloria pursued her political aspirations and was elected to the Madison School Board as the first Latina to serve in this role and serving as Madison School Board President. The same year, Gloria co-founded and served as president of Adelante, a political action group aimed to prepare and support candidates of color to run for political office.

Gloria started her consulting business, Reyes Public Safety, in 2019, and began serving as a consultant for National League of Cities and Race Forward with a focus on race and equity in law enforcement. She has developed a proprietary racial-equity-organizational justice model for police organizations as well as a leading-edge “Badge of Equity” training curriculum. Reyes Public Safety’s mission focuses on innovative approaches to solving complex public safety challenges.

https://reyesformayor.com/