Kellie Cournoyer
Kellie Cournoyer is a seasoned public safety executive with more than 25 years of experience in campus law enforcement and higher education safety leadership. She began her law enforcement career in 1997 as a police officer in Granby, Massachusetts, after being encouraged by a lieutenant and family friend. Although she initially planned to pursue nursing, a law course sparked her interest in criminal justice and ultimately guided her into policing. Early in her career, she discovered a strong preference for college law enforcement over municipal policing, valuing the opportunity to build deeper relationships within academic communities and engage in a more collaborative, student-centered approach to community safety.
For over two decades, Kellie has served as a Lieutenant at Mount Holyoke College Department of Public Safety and Service, where she oversees the dispatch center, supervises sergeants and officers, and contributes to training and operational leadership across the department. Since 1999, she has also been a certified RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) self-defense instructor, teaching self-defense courses for physical education credit and supporting empowerment-based safety education. Her work reflects a longstanding commitment to prevention, preparedness, and fostering safe learning environments through education and engagement.
More recently, Kellie serves as Director of Public Safety at Elms College in Chicopee, Massachusetts, where she leads campus safety operations and is actively implementing the ALICE active shooter response program for the 2026–2027 academic year. She previously held the role of Director of Campus Safety at Bard College at Simon’s Rock in Great Barrington, where she also helped implement the ALICE program and contributed to emergency preparedness initiatives. Her professional insight was featured in the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin/LEDA Magazine in March 2025 in her article, “They Say Lightning Doesn’t Strike Twice or Does It?”, reflecting on her experience at Bard College at Simon’s Rock, site of the region’s first active shooter incident in 1992. Known for her dedication to student engagement and community connection, Kellie describes her work not just as a career, but as a lifelong passion centered on service, safety, and mentorship.
• Workplace Violence and Threat Specialist
• Security Assessments Certification
• RAD (Rape Aggression Defense) Instructor - BASIC
• ALICE Instructor
• Springfield College - BA in CJ
• Springfield College - MPA
• Faculty Choice Award from Springfield College
• Graduated Magna Cum Laude
• Published in FBI LEDA Magazine (March 2025)
• ATAP (Association for Threat Assessment Professionals) - Northeast Chapter
• MAWLE (Massachusetts Association for Women in Law Enforcement)
• Teaching self-defense to Girl Scouts (free of charge)
• Teaching self-defense to senior citizens at senior centers (free of charge) in Granby
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to two key mentors who have been instrumental in my career. Captain Denise Duguay, who is retired from the Holyoke Mass Police Department, really pursued me and pushed me to get my master's degree. I'm very grateful to her because she really felt that I should be more seen, and I should push myself and strive for what I want to accomplish in this field, so I'm indebted to her. The other is Dr. Cheryl Braxton, who was the professor that oversaw my master's program and was in charge of our cohort. I'm still very close to her, and she's the one that helped me tweak my article for the FBI LEDA magazine. Whenever I mention different ideas, she helps me tweak them to move them forward, especially because right now I'm trying to get onto a TEDx and she's been working with me on that. Beyond these mentors, I would have to say it's the strong women on my mother's side that pushed me to where I am now and stood by me. And for the education piece, I would have to say that was my father, because he pushed me to pursue my goals in education.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would tell her it's going to be a lot of hard work and determination, because this is still a male-dominated field. It doesn't matter if you're in municipal or college law enforcement, it's still a male-dominated field. So they're going to have a lot of hard work and determination to confirm their beliefs and who they are as a person, because you will touch the lives of at least one person every day in the work that you do. And this age group, they know when people are genuine or not. So I tell them to be as genuine and as authentic to yourself as you possibly can, because that's where you touch lives.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Being genuine and authentic is extremely important to me in my work. I believe that when you're in college law enforcement, every student feels like your own kid. Yes, they're young adults, but at the same time, you feel very responsible for them and their safety because their parents and families are entrusting you to keep them safe. I'm passionate about what I do - it's not a job, it's a passion. I tell my students when I'm teaching self-defense to just follow your passions. I also believe strongly in giving back to the community, which is why I teach self-defense for free to Girl Scouts and senior citizens, because I feel like if they need to learn self-defense, they should be able to have that opportunity. I know some senior citizens are living hand-to-mouth because of the cost of everything. I love the energy and getting to know our students, which is ideal for me.