"Women in Leadership" Profile #4 - Kathleen O'Toole

Seattle University women’s basketball will be holding their first annual “Women in Leadership” game on Thursday, Dec. 4 at KeyArena at Seattle Center as they host the University of Washington. Five women from the Seattle community will be honored as part of the evening’s festivities, with a profile of each to appear on GoSeattleU.com leading up to the event. This is the fourth of the five-part series.

Kathleen O’Toole was named Seattle Police Chief in June 2014, the first female police chief in Seattle history. Earlier in her career, she also made history in her hometown of Boston, appointed the first female police commissioner in 2004 by the Mayor of Boston.

Between Boston and Seattle, O’Toole moved to Ireland becoming the first Chief Inspector of the Garda Inspectorate, ensuring the highest levels of efficiency and effectiveness in the operation and administration of Garda Síochána, the police force of Ireland.

While serving in Ireland, she became a member of the Patten Commission, which reformed police efforts in Northern Ireland and led to the Police Service of Northern Ireland formation.

O’Toole graduated from Boston College with a Bachelors of Arts and from the New England School of Law with a JD.